


G/T One Shots? (Platonic "Ships" and More)

by PlatonicSeptiplier



Category: P!Septiplier G/T, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: G/T, Gen, TINY - Freeform, giant, oneshots, random bullshit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2018-12-12 01:43:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 39
Words: 87,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11726889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlatonicSeptiplier/pseuds/PlatonicSeptiplier
Summary: This is where I put short story chapters which according to the internet are called "One Shots". This is where I'll put small scribbles or ideas I come up with between updates, so expect arbitrary updates here.I might do requests, but I'm not sure yet... probably, but they'd be pretty randomly answered.





	1. Suggestions? Maybe?

Now a quick note, I'm not up for the whole first person POV or the "*insert your name here*" thing, I stick to the good old fashioned third person perspective... but I am not a professional writer, I suck dick at writing, so you've been warned...

I guess for now you guys can throw prompts at me, but again, expect them randomly or out of the blue... sorry lol.

 

Main Characters List

Jacksepticeye

Markiplier

CrankGameplays

Tyler Scheid

Amy aka. Peebles I think

Signe aka. Wiishu

maybe Pewdiepie and Marzia

NateWantsToBattle

MatPat

 

My Conditions

As you guys should know from my username, I am not an actual shipper. All of my shipping is platonic, or in other words, "not romantic." I believe in friendship (and Steve), but I do not support romance, especially if it's not a real ship that actually exists in the real world... Yes, for example, like septiplier, sorry fangirls. Friendship only.

You guys can choose who's the giant and who's the tiny, and you can offer an idea of what happens. For example, "do tiny jack who gets stranded on an island and comes across giant mark!" 

I am also never doing sexual content, that stuff can stay away from me thank you very much

 

Again: I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL I AM A LAZY BUMBUM WITH HOPELESS DREAMS XD So don't expect good writing or accurate updates!

 

 

I might edit this later


	2. Nature Walk (Jack and Signe)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giant!Jack and Tiny!Wiishu :)
> 
> Requested by 2016brownb

Signe locked her door and looked out at the familiar town she lived in, and she breathed in the cool fresh air as she started walking. The thing she loved most about Ireland was how beautiful the land was. Everything was green and fresh because of all the rain, and it made Signe happy.

 _I love nature so much._ She sighed happily as she made her way through the streets and headed out into the forest. As Signe walked, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and swiped the screen, scrolling through Twitter and smiling.

 _Oh, nice one! Hmm, that's a good idea, I should try that..._ Signe smiled again. _Yes, my plants do look lovely, they're very pretty thank you. I'm very happy with them._ She giggled as she walked along the familiar nature trail, buried in the internet as she continued walking. But because of that she didn't notice a jutting root in her path. In front of her was a bridge that led over a steep cliff, but when Signe kept walking her foot slipped under the root. She cried out as she fell forward and dropped her phone, and the bend of the land caused her to roll and fall into the small crevice.

Signe groaned and rubbed her head, and she slowly sat up and tried to move. To her dismay, her good foot was tangled under a bramble, and her other foot felt sprained. She groaned again and laid back down, and she tried to feel around for her phone and shuffled her hands through the leaves.

 _Oh no... no, damn it!_ She realized that she had dropped her phone up on the cliff. She couldn't get up, and now she couldn't call someone for help. But even though it was early morning, maybe someone else was here? She couldn't be the only person here!

"H-h-help..." Signe swallowed and groaned before she tried to shout for help. "H-help! Someone please! Is anybody there?" Silence met her ears. _There has to be someone around, surely!_ She tried to move again, but she stopped immediately as pain shot through her, and she stopped moving with a whimper. "Help! Please!" Signe yelled again. "Please, is somebody there? Anyone!"

She heard some birds suddenly chirp and fly off, and Signe focused on trying to get untangled. But she was too tied up in the brambles to get out.

Signe looked back up as she heard something thump around and rustle in the leaves, and then she was surprised to hear an Irish voice call out.

"Hello?" The voice asked. Signe struggled to sit up as she quickly returned the call.

"Hello, yes!" She cried out. "Can you-can you help me sir? I tripped and fell down in this crevice."

"Oh," the masculine Irish voice realized with compassion in his tone. "Are you ok?"

"I'm mostly fine, I-I think," Signe answered. "My ankle's sprained though, and I skinned my knee when I fell down. My good leg is also trapped in these brambles."

"That sounds bad." the Irish accent was loud but soft toned;  the speaker was really close by but speaking quietly. "What can I do, do you want me to call someone or-"

"No, I think I'll be ok if you could just come down here and help me-" Signe started to say.

"Oh, um... I-I can't." Signe widened her eyes.

"Why not!?" She exclaimed, frantic. "P-please, I just- I just need to get my foot free and-and I can-"

"I didn't mean I wouldn't help," the voice answered firmly. "But I-I need you to do me a favor." Signe blinked a few times, shivering.

"F-favor?" She whimpered. "I-I don't-I don't have anything though."

"No, not that kind of favor," the Irishman coaxed. "Just... close your eyes, please? I don't want you to see me."

"Why?"

"Because I... look, I just don't, alright?" The stranger pleaded. "Please, just close your eyes ok?" Signe was taken back by his strange request, but she quickly complied.

"A-alright, alright! Ok." She closed her eyes and waited. "They're closed," she said, even covering her eyes with her hand. She heard the bushes rustle, and she waited patiently for the man to come down and help her out. But to her surprise, she felt something wrap around her waist and gently pull the brambles away. As Signe felt herself be lifted up into the air, she couldn't help open one eye and shift her fingers to look.

The pale skin of a giant hand covered her entire body, and it was lifting her out of the crevice. Signe's eyes widened as she slowly looked up, and she found herself staring up at the owner of the hand.

It was a giant Irish fella, and he had a black jacket on over a plain red shirt. His jeans were dark  denim, and he wore black shoes that also made his pale skin show out. He had a small well trimmed goatee that curved from his chin and circled around his lips, but with a space at his dimples. What caught Signe's attention the most was his bright ocean blue eyes and his wild green hair.

Signe couldn't help but gasp in shock as her hand flew to her mouth, and the giant jumped in surprise as he yelled a little with realization and almost dropped Signe. Signe yelped and grabbed on to one of the giant's fingers as the giant recovered from his shock and pulled her away from the crevice. Signe found her feet touching the ground as she was set down, but when she looked up she saw the giant running off into the forest to go hide.

"W-wait!" She blurted out, limping forward one step. The rumbling footsteps stopped, and there was nothing for a few seconds. Then the giant Irishman slowly tilted his head out from behind a tree as he looked at Signe with wary. Signe looked at him, fascinated. _He has such pretty blue eyes..._

She tilted her head, still in awe when she finally used her voice again. "Um... I-I'm sorry," she apologized. "I-I didn't meant to scare you, I... th-thank you for helping me." The giant stared back with wide eyes before he shyly scratched the back of his head.

"Uh, n-no problem," he said quietly. Signe frowned.

"Why are you scared?" She asked. The giant bit his lip.

"Um..." He cleared his throat and then came out of hiding and nervously sat down. "Giants aren't suppose to let humans see them," he explained.

"Why not?"

"Well..." the giant's chest heaved as he sighed and ran his hand through his hair; Signe found her eyes still locked onto his crystal blue ones though as he continued. "To put it at the simplest I can, people are afraid of giants because of the lore on us, all of the scary man eating stories and shit," he sighed. Signe looked up at the giant.

"You don't look scary," she quietly said. The giant smiled a little.

"Well gee thanks... too bad others don't see it like that."

"... well, um..." Signe limped to her phone and picked it up, groaning when she saw it was cracked. She looked up at the giant and gave him a warm smile. "What's your name? I'm Signe." The giant's eyes widened a little before he grinned.

"My friends call me Jack," he replied in a cheery voice. "But you can call me Sean, that's my real name anyway." Signe smiled back at him.

"Well nice to meet you then Sean." She looked down at herself to see that her clothes were trekked with dirt and leaves, and she sighed. "Oh great, I gotta get these washed," she sighed. She looked back up at Jack. "Well, thank you again for saving me a lot of time and trouble."

"Yeah no problem," the Irish giant answered. He paused for a few seconds, then asked, "Hey Signe? If it's alright with you, could we maybe meet again, maybe here tomorrow?" Signe widened her eyes in surprise, then smiled.

"That sounds great." 

"Awesome!" Jack sat back against a tree and looked in the direction of the town. "You want a lift?" He suddenly asked. "I can't just let a pretty little lady like yourself be wandering around in the forest injured and all alone." Signe blushed and put her hand over one side of her lips.

"Well as long as you're ok with it and I don't take up any of your time," she mumbled shyly.

"It'd be my pleasure!" Jack lowered his hand and set it down flat on the ground. "All aboard the Jack Express!" He exclaimed with a goofy grin. Signe giggled and walked over to the giant, and she glanced up at him before she stepped onto his hand. The surface of it was warm and almost squishy with the soft skin that covered his large hand, and as Jack slowly lifted his hand up Signe found it unstable until she got used to it. Jack was careful with the small human as he held his hand to his chest, and his movements were slow and steady as he turned and began walking to the town. Signe sat in the palm of his hand and leaned against his chest, and she found that she was smiling and enjoying herself.

Jack was friendly as he chatted with Signe along the way, and Signe found herself hanging on his every word. He was so bubbly and optimistic, and everything he said was either genuine or funny. He talked about how he grew up near Athlone and went on about his hobbies, but what struck Signe the most was that he actually one hell of a gentleman. When Signe commented on something, he would immediately give her his full on attention, and he would listen to her and her opinions; unlike the rowdy boys in her town, he was a real sweetheart and a great listener, and he had a pleasurable sense of humor. 

Jack stopped at the edge of town and crouched in the bushes.

"Ok, this is where I have to stop," he murmured. He looked down at Signe as he set his hand down on the ground. "Can you make it from here?" He asked as she shambled off his fingertips.

"Yeah." She turned and looked up at the giant as Jack laid down on his stomach to be face to face with the human. "Thank you for the lift Sean," she said as she tucked her hair behind her ear and twirled a strand around her fingers. Jack smiled.

"Thanks for not being scared of me," he replied. Signe smiled and turned to walk into the town, but then she didn't start walking. She paused there for a few seconds before turning and quickly limping up to the giant, and she shyly kissed the tip of Jack's nose. Immediately the Irish giant's cheeks reddened as he awed softly and covered his mouth in a fail to hide a shy smile. Signe smiled and shyly stepped back.

"Just as a little goodbye until tomorrow," she explained. "And a thank you to my big hero for saving me."

"W-Well it wasn't any trouble at all," Jack mumbled, still covering his mouth and blushing. Signe laughed and shrugged her shoulders, but then she winced as she was reminded of her sprained ankle.

"Well thank you either way." She backed out of the bushes as Jack sat up and hunched over to watch her go, and Signe waved goodbye before she turned around and started making her way back home; her mind was already buzzing with eager to see Jack again.

 


	3. Borrowing a Borrower (Mark and Amy)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giant!Mark and Tiny!Amy :)
> 
> Requested by welcome-to-darkness

_Come on Amy, you can do this,_ the borrower told herself as she pressed against the toaster. _You just gotta go across the kitchen and get some bread from the pantry, no trouble._ Amy breathed out nervously as she peeked out of hiding and looked at the kitchen. _It's not that far away, and the humans are in their rooms._

The positive thing about the guy that owned the house Amy lived in was that he would spend lots of time in his room recording videos. The spans of time that he did this allowed Amy to borrow all she needed, and slip back into the small crack hidden behind the toaster. As Amy pulled out her hook and rope and made her way across the counter, she wondered about the human. She knew his name was Mark, and he lived with two other people who were his friends and recording buddies. One young man had blue hair and was called Ethan, and the other had curly brown hair and was called Tyler.

But despite the assurance Amy gave herself, she was still nervous about being out in the open. There was just so much space and light. She was used to being in the dark nooks of the walls, where the borrower felt safe and sound. But alas, Amy had to survive, and to do that, she needed to do exactly what she was doing now: come out of hiding, get down from the counter and get to the pantry without being Seen.

Amy looked in the direction of the living room before she broke into a run, and she sprinted across the tiled floor until she came to a stop in the darkness of the pantry shadow. She looked up at the towering wall of wood, and she swallowed nervously before she set her hook down and approached the pantry. It took her some effort to open the pantry door a crack, but once she got it open Amy pulled herself up and slipped into the cool storage area.

Opening her satchel, Amy set to work. She pried open the twisty thing that held together the wrapping of a loaf, and she climbed in and began stuffing her satchel full of crumbs. She was diligent in her job, and when she was done she carried her satchel out and dropped it on the floor. After covering her tracks, Amy sat on the edge of the pantry and dropped down with a grunt.

 _All right._ Amy put her satchel back on and reached for her hook. _Now I just gotta-_ Amy froze when she heard the heavy thuds of footsteps, and her eyes widened.

_Someone's coming._

Driven by fear, Amy grabbed her equipment and ducked in the space between the fridge and the wall as the person came down the hallway and walked into the kitchen. Amy pressed against the wall as she dared to peek up at the giant figure, and as the human opened the fridge door, Any recognized the person as Mark.

Out of the three people that lived here without knowing about the borrower in their walls, Amy knew she feared Mark the most. Despite those kind brown eyes that were always lit up with humor, his height was made up for with the huge muscles that rippled under his golden skin. A regular human could capture a borrower without any problems, but someone with strong muscles and fast reflexes could crush Amy.

Amy shuddered at her thoughts as Mark poured himself a glass of milk, and Amy's eyes wandered up at the toaster. It was on the other side of the giant male; if she tried to make a break for it, he would surely catch her. She looked behind Mark at the island counters, and she shook her head. _No, that won't do..._ there wasn't enough space under those counters for her to safely hide.

"Mark!" Amy jumped and slapped her hand over her mouth as Ethan yelled from the other room. "I might have done something!" He shouted. Mark was mid sip when he lowered his glass and looked down the hall.

"Ethan I swear to fucking god if you killed me!" He threatened with a small grin.

"Umm, I might have..." Mark sighed playfully and set his glass down on the counter, and he jogged off to go see what the blue haired boy had done. Amy's eyes widened as she realized that an opportunity had presented itself to her.

 _Now's my chance!_ She waited until she heard the humans yelling at each other, and then she inhaled deeply before she ran. _Come on now, come on!_ She told herself as she swung her hook up. It latched onto the top drawer's handle, and Amy began climbing as fast as her small body could go. She reached the handle and balanced on it as she threw her hook up again, and this time it snagged onto a wash cloth that was left on the counter. Amy tugged to make sure it was secure, and then she continued climbing.

But just as she pulled herself over the edge of the smooth countertop, she heard Mark's voice get louder as his footsteps picked up. _Ohhh shit._ Amy didn't have any time to grab her hook, so she ran and dived under the wash cloth. Just as she pushed herself under, a shadow fell over the counter, and Amy put her hand over her mouth as he held her breath. _Maybe he won't notice..._

"Hmm?" Amy winced as she heard a small clatter of metal, and she cowered in her hiding place as Mark noticed the small hook. "What the fuck is this?" Mark murmured to himself, staring at the hook. He pinched it between his index and thumb and pulled it off the cloth, and he held it up to his eyes and studied it curiously. Amy squeezed her eyes shut as she waited, trembling in the folds of the scratchy towel.

"Come on Mark, Ethan's about to blow you up again!" Tyler exclaimed impatiently. Mark turned away and yelled back, "Yeah I'm coming, I just forgot my milk!" He put the hook and line in his pocket and grabbed his glass of milk, and he hurried off to reunite with his friends. Amy waited until his footsteps faded and his voice was muffled, and then she slowly relaxed as she gave a shallow sigh. She put her hands against the sides of her head, and she closed her eyes as her lips pulled back in a silent sob.

She had almost been Seen. She almost got caught. Who knows what Mark would have done if he had seen her? Amy thought of the worst; he'd probably grab her and shove her in a cage for he and his friends to ogle her like she was some sort of rodent, or maybe mistake her for an insect and just squish her. It was these terrifying scenarios that haunted Amy's mind as she quietly began to cry.

But it was too late; Mark had her hook, and now he was curious... which meant Amy had to move out before he can find her.

 

 

 

 

Mark was very curious about the hook and string he had found in the kitchen. It made no sense why someone would put it there, and he doubted that Ethan or Tyler left it there anyway since there wasn't any use for it... _so what was it doing there?_

After he and his friends were done recording, they uploaded their videos and went about their merry day. Nothing was out of the ordinary except for the tackle that was lying in the bottom of Mark's pocket. Day turned to dusk, and Mark still spent most of his day in the kitchen. He made chicken dumplings for dinner, and after they all ate they played some video games before Ethan decided to go to bed. Tyler soon headed to his room to do the same, and Mark was left to clean up.

He collected the Xbox controllers and put them back up before picking his plate up and heading into the kitchen. He turned the faucet on and rinsed his dirty dish, then set it down in the sink and turned the water back off. Mark then turned to leave, but he stopped as he looked at the towel that the hook had been snagged on. He stood there for a few seconds, biting his lip as he thought.

 _... maybe I should put my webcam up on the fridge, that way I can see what's going on._ He nodded thoughtfully and left the kitchen to fetch the camera. The young man then returned to the kitchen and stretched up on tiptoe, and he placed the webcam on top of the fridge. Once he got the camera in place and angled correctly, Mark went back into his room and pulled his laptop out, and he connected to the webcam and pulled its screen up.

"Ok then." Mark took a few sips from his water before setting it down and staring intently at the screen. "What are you?" He murmured.

 

 

 

 

Only when the day turned to night did Amy finally crawl out from under the towel. She shivered as she was met with cool lunar air, and she folded her arms over her chest as she glanced around to make sure the coast was clear. She listened.

 _... ok, they've all gone to sleep._ Amy sighed quietly in relief and started walking across the counters. I have to pack up everything, she realized. _I have to go outside and look for another place to live, and I gotta make a new hook!_ Amy realized she was panicking and decided to take a step back and think _. Ok, calm down Amy,_ she told herself. _Just relax, ok? Mark doesn't know what you are or where you are, only that there's something curious going on. Curiosity is bad, and your family told you about how humans are dangerous, especially when they're curious._

 

 

 

 

Mark frowned and peered at the screen. He could have sworn he saw something on the counter, but it was too dark to tell. He pressed a few buttons to zoom in a little, but it didn't help. Then the thing scampered out of view.

"Damnit," he muttered. He grabbed his water and guzzled it down, sitting back. "What the hell was that?"

 

 

 

 

 _Finally. Safety._ Amy sighed gratefully as she slipped back into the safety of her home. In here the world was her size, and she knew every inch of the place. _But I have to leave now._ Sadness stirred in Amy's chest, and she sighed.

"After I sleep," she murmured to herself, heading for a small empty box that had been filled with one of Mark's lost shirts. It was a red and black flannel, a lucky flannel according to Mark, but one day Mark had accidentally misplaced it. Amy never saw any reason to not keep it though. It was soft and comfortable to lay on. But her day had already been spent hiding in fear. She was tired now, and the borrower wanted nothing more than to rest for now. She climbed into bed and snuggled the covers, drinking in the human's faded touch. Amy wondered how Mark would see her if she was human, and she drifted into sleep daydreaming about the giant being friendly and not wanting to hurt her.

 

 

 

 

When Amy woke up first thing in the morning, she decided to collect some food and water. At this hour, everyone would still be asleep, so she was counting on no one interrupting her.

The biggest problem was that she didn't have her hook. Amy made do with what little string she could afford to spare, but she knew that without her hook, disaster was sure to hit. She sighed nervously and looked out from behind the toaster. The sun wasn't up yet, but through the window Amy could see the rosy horizon. _Wow. It's so pretty... I wonder if humans ever appreciate simple things like how beautiful the sky is, or how easy life is for them,_ Amy thought to herself. She tied one end of her string to the handle of the coffee pot, and she held on to the other end and climbed down the side of the counter. The borrower's feet safely touched the floor, and Amy exhaled a small breath of relief. She left her one way up and went over to the pantry, and the took as much bread as she could before her bag was completely full of it.

 _Now I just need water._ Getting water was going to be the tricky part. Amy would have to go to the sink and turn it on without falling in. She went back up the ladder and put her bread up in a backpack, and she grabbed a thimble to hold her water in. She had to brush some dust off of it and hold back a sneeze, but Amy was soon back in the outside world walking across the counter tops. Her small body was tense and her eyes glanced down the hallway, and she was on edge and wisely cautious as she walked up to the large silver spout. She walked around the rim of the steel basin and set her backpack down beside the sink, and then Amy approached the faucet and tried to turn it on.

The handle was big, and Amy had to push it with her entire body before it squeaked and moved just enough for fast droplets to fall out of the spout. Amy climbed up and pushed the faucet so it swung closer to the side of the sink. She climbed back down and grabbed her thimble, and she edged onto the metal rim before she held her thimble out and collected water.

She was soon done and ready to head back, but as Amy wrapped the thimble in a piece of foil and stuffed it in her bag, she heard someone's door open. Cold icy fear froze her for a second, and then she geared into panic. She slung her pack over her shoulder and started running across the counter, but her foot slipped on a small patch of water that had cascaded from the faucet.

Amy couldn't help but scream as she fell over the edge, and she managed to grab onto the corner as her bag fell down. She heard it quietly clatter far down below, and her chest heaved as she tried to pull herself back up. But she had a very narrow and risky hold, and her grip was already slipping. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried desperately to get back up, but her fingers suddenly slipped off the edge, and she screamed as she plummeted.

Amy's scream stopped midway when her fall to her death suddenly stopped with her landing on a soft surface, and she gasped as her breath left her shocked body. She shook violently and laid there for a few seconds, and to her panicked mind's confusion the surface under her shifted. The borrower was cold and numb from the close call, but she couldn't understand what had just happened. _Shouldn't I be dead?_

Amy's eyes slowly opened, and with adrenaline still coursing through her, her vision was a little hazy. The world around her was moving, and then everything slowed down and stopped. A familiar figure towered over her, peering down at her and saying something, but Amy couldn't hear any words over the blood rushing in her head. She blinked a few times and stared, and her vision grew a little more clear as her body began to calm down.

"Come on, come on... come on little guy, come on!" A voice was softly speaking, and Amy felt something prod her side. She flinched and curled up, trembling as she realized what had happened. Somehow and for some reason, Mark had walked in at the exact moment for him to run forward and catch the borrower. Amy didn't know how, but she knew while death had been avoided, it was sure to come in another way.

A sob escaped Amy's lips,and she froze when she realized that she was crying. But she covered her face and let the tears flow anyway. What did it matter to keep quiet anymore? Mark had already found her, and now she was at his mercy.

"Oh shit," Amy heard Mark gasp. He sounded genuinely horrified. "Are you ok!? I-I saw you were about to fall, and I-I couldn't just let that happen- are you hurt? Did I break something, or maybe I bruised you?" Amy's crying came to a confused stop. She didn't understand; why did Mark sound so... concerned?

She felt Mark gently rub her back with a careful finger, and she whimpered nervously as Mark softly shushed her. "Shh... it's ok. It-it's ok, you're ok. Y-you're safe," he murmured. There was worry in his deep voice, and Amy shuddered as he rubbed her spine. "You're ok little gu-well, girl, but it's gonna be alright, just breathe, just relax. Take deep breaths, and you're gonna be just fine..." Amy found her body obeying Mark's gentle words, and she inhaled shakily and shivered in his hand. "H-here, I'll put you down, ok? Just calm down..."

Amy stayed still as Mark nervously but gently put her down on his pillow, and the borrower shivered as the gentle giant's touch left her. She laid there for a few seconds, but all Mark did was sit on the floor and gaze at her with amiable concern. Amy slowly sat up and looked at him, and for a few seconds they stared at each other with awe and apprehension.

Then Mark cleared his throat and gently interrupted the silence.

"Are-are you ok?" He murmured. Amy swallowed nervously and shrugged with a nod. She didn't trust her own voice right now, it would betray how afraid she was. "I'm sorry." Mark leaned forward and rested his chin on the bedside. "I didn't mean to scare you, I-I just saw that you slipped, and..." Amy frowned. How could he have seen her slip? He'd come in when she was dangling over the edge. Amy decided to keep quiet and looked around. She had never really been in Mark's room before; it was a lot more cozy than she imagined it. His bed covers were a little messy, and so was the rest of his room, but it had a homey feel to it that Amy found comforting.

"Um..." Mark suddenly looked embarrassed as he got up and started picking up his scattered shirts and apparel. "S-sorry about the mess," he mumbled in a hurry. "I kind of get uh, lazy I suppose..." He continued on muttering apologies under his breath as he went around the room and cleaned up. Amy watched him until her eyes fell on his laptop, and she stiffened. The screen was on a camera that showed the kitchen.

 _He's been watching me!_ Amy blushed nervously. _How long has he known about me!?_ Mark shoved his clothes in the closet and closed off the messy monstrosity. He cleared his throat again and gave Amy a sheepish smile.

"I-I'm Sorry," he stammered quietly. "This is probably a little overwhelming for you. I-I mean, you're a tiny person and all, and I'm a little, uh, nonplussed as well, but..." He covered his jaw with his hand with a nervous light in his eyes, and Amy was surprised when sympathy clutched at her gut. _Poor guy, he doesn't know how to react... is that because he's worried about hurting me? Or is he just not sure what to do about me?_ Amy frowned, still very uneasy. _I'm probably nothing but a pest problem to him. I should wait until I have an opportunity, then make a break for it and get the hell out of here. Should I talk though? I know I was scared of him before, but... that might just be the muscles and deep voice.  
_

"Are you ok?" Mark's question snapped Amy out of her thoughts. "You're shaking." Amy cursed mentally when she realized that Mark was right. She wet her dry lips and decided to speak.

"I-I..." As Amy struggled to speak, she saw Mark's eyes go soft and bear an expression similar to a sad puppy's. _Goddamnit. Great first impression Amy, he knows you're scared of him now._ "I, uh, I'm actually really thirsty," she lied. She tried her best to hide her fear, but her voice was shaky.

"I'll get you some water," Mark almost immediately offered. "If you'd like."

"Y-yeah, that'd be great thanks." Amy wanted to kick herself when the words spilled out of her mouth in stutters, but Mark bought it.

"Ok, I'll be right back, all right? Just stay right there." He backed away holding his hands up to show Amy that he meant no harm, and then he turned and left the room. _I don't have much time now!_ Amy climbed down the bedside as fast as she could. She reached the floor and ran across the room, and the borrower bolted out into the hallway. _I have to hide. I have to get out of here._ Amy could hear the water running, and she knew she didn't have much time. She ran into the nearest room and ducked behind the door; just in time.

Amy held her breath as she heard Mark walk back into the hallway and into his room, and she slowly relaxed. Now I just have to get out of here. She turned to see how high up the window was, but she was instead met with a terrifying shock.

Tyler was awake and mere feet away from where Amy was hiding. He had his headphones on and his phone out. He had been scrolling through Twitter when he had seen Amy run into his room, and now he was staring at the borrower with shock clear in his eyes.

Amy screamed when the tall man tried to reach down and grab her, but whatever music was playing in Tyler's headphones muffled her cry of distress. He picked her up and held her in a tight fist, and she squirmed and clawed at his hand as she was lifted high up into the air. But it was no use, she realized with despair; she was helpless.

"Tyler!" Mark threw the door open and burst into the room. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open as his chest heaved with fear. Tyler jumped when he saw Mark, and he pulled his headphones down so that they hung around his neck.

"Hey Mark." His voice was a little scratchy with sleep still. "What are you up to? Is this yours? I just found this thing running into my room, I don't know what the fuck it is though."

"She doesn't belong to anyone," Mark answered crisply. "And she's not a thing, she's my friend." Amy stopped struggling and stared at Mark with wide eyes. Friend?

"What is she then?" Amy shrieked when Tyler held her upside down, examining her.

"Tyler!" Mark barked. He looked desperate. "Please stop, you're scaring her!" Amy had squeezed her eyes shut and unintentionally clinged to the stone faced human's finger. Tyler frowned when he saw how scared the borrower was, and then he seemed to finally realize the gravity of his actions.

"Oh. Shit." He cringed and held his hand flat, and Mark quickly, but gently, scooped the frightened girl up and held her to his chest. Amy cried out and tried to push away, but Mark softly shushed her as he gently pressed her against his heart.

"It's ok," he cooed. His voice was a low rumble. "He didn't know, it was just an accident. You're safe, I promise. I won't let anything bad happen to you..." Amy shivered violently against Mark's hoodie. His body heat radiated off of him and enveloped the borrower in a warm sense of security. He was so warm... as Amy cried into his chest and shook violently, she found that his low murmurs were soothing. His voice was so silky and sweet like honey, and it rumbled powerfully from behind his breastbone.

As Mark kept susurrating gentle words, Amy realized that his efforts to assuage her fear was working. She had stopped crying, and she now lay limp against Mark with her eyes closed. Her lower lip still quivered, but she felt comforted. In fact, Amy realized with surprise, she came to understand that she wasn't trying to go anywhere; instead, she was pressing against the raven haired man.

"That's it, you're doing good. Just breathe," Mark murmured. He was slightly swaying as he held Amy, as if he was rocking a baby to sleep. Tyler watched with confusion and anxiety in his eyes.

"Is she ok?" He suddenly dared to whisper. Mark peeked at Amy.

"... I think she's asleep," he murmured with surprise. Tyler's eyebrow raised.

"Really? Man she must really trust you- or I must have really spooked her. But what and who the fuck is she again?" Before Mark could answer Tyler, a third voice interrupted.

"What's going on?" Mark turned around as both he and Tyler looked to see Ethan standing in the hall. He rubbed his eye and yawned. His blue hair was messy, and he was still half asleep.

"Shh," Mark whispered. He lowered his hand and revealed Amy, and Ethan's eyes widened in awe.

"Aww!" He gasped softly. "She's so small!"

"She's also asleep," Mark murmured. "So please don't speak very loudly?" Ethan frowned.

"But... who is she? And where did she come from?" Mark brushed past his blue haired friend and walked to the living room. Tyler and Ethan followed close behind.

"I don't know." He sat down on the couch and looked up at his friends. "But when she wakes up, I guess we can ask her then."


	4. Spiders and Borrowers (Mat and Nate+Mark)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giant!Mat and Tiny!Nate and Tiny!Mark (little bit of Tiny!Jack, Tiny!Ethan, Tiny!Amy and Tiny!Wiishu too) :)
> 
> Requested by CatParker0

Spiders were not a good thing to have in your closet, especially if that closet was your recording studio.

Mat scowled as he kept his distance from the small room. His eyes were locked on the corner above his shelves, where a sac of woven webs hanged with hundreds of baby spiders crawling out. _Goddangit, of all the poopy things that could happen!_ Mat groaned and shook his head. _I guess I'm gonna have to use another room for all of our theory videos until Steph and I can get this pest problem under control. I hope they don't get in my jackets._ Mat looked at the spiders for a few more seconds before he ran into the closet room and grabbed as many of his things as quickly as possible.

When his things were safe Mat ran back in and unplugged his laptop. As he worked on getting his laptop free, a little black spider crawled near his hand.

"Ah! Oh no you don't!" Mat jerked his hand away and backed away. "Stay back you little demonic... eight legged..." Mat frowned as he tried to reach for a good insult. "... attercop."

"Mat?" Stephanie stopped outside the closet and looked at the theorist with confusion. "What are you-" she gasped when she saw the spider problem, and her eyes widened. "Oh no!" She exclaimed. "Oh Mat, what did you do to make them so angry, you drove them up the wall!"

"Ha ha ha." Mat walked over to Stephanie with his laptop under his arm. "I didn't do anything! They came and stole the closet!" He exclaimed.

"Well maybe you ruined their web, so they decided to use your computer to make some _web_ sites," Stephanie teased. Mat shook his head, fighting back a smile at the awful puns.

"I don't know Steph, how about you weave me an explanation?" He chuckled. "But seriously, we're gonna have to get rid of them, I cannot stand spiders! They aren't animatronics but boy they will sneak up on you and strike when you least expect it! You just watch!" Stephanie giggled.

"Ok, easy there tiger, we'll take care of them, but right now why don't you go ahead and get a room set up so you can finish that theory about Spiderman? You could try the storage room; besides, you've waited a long time to get a good idea on him anyway, so why wait?"

"How ironic," Mat muttered to himself, and then he sighed. "Thanks Steph." He grabbed his recording gear and made his way to the storage room, stopping only to pet a kitty and murmuring, "Hey CatPat, go guard the theory closet for me will you?" The cat meowed and trotted off with his tail high in the air.

Mat walked into the storage room and put his laptop and equipment on a dusty old table. He sighed and sat down on a pile of boxes, falling into a thinking trance. _I wonder if I should put that first, and then that last..._ he was thinking about how he was going to organize his film theory. _And then save that for last, throw in a couple of puns from Stephanie of course..._ Mat sighed and mussed his hair. _Man it's really dusty. How long has it been since me and Steph have come down here?_ He got up and brushed some dust and cobwebs off the boxes, coughing.

"Man it really is dusty!" He muttered to himself. He stopped and noticed something black behind one of the boxes. He frowned. _What's this?_ He pulled the box out of the way and crouched down. It was a hole in the wall. Mat expected it to be riddled with dust bunnies and old webs, but to his surprise it was actually clean.

"Huh." _Maybe something frequently uses this tunnel?_ Mat tried to look down the tunnel's yawning throat, but it was too dark too see, even with the lights on. With a sigh he sat on the cold floor and ogled the hole. It was a natural crack in the wall, but the tunnel behind it was so smooth and straight. It looked unnatural, and it was so well hidden.

Mat sat there staring at the hole and began to brood.

 

 

 

 

 _Man I hate spiders!_ Creeping through one of the many tunnels that winded through the house's walls was a borrower. And Nate hated spiders. Any creepy crawlies were disturbing, especially at his size. But spiders were just horrifying! They had so many eyes and legs, and they could jump on a borrower and wrap their legs around them. And once that happened, well... you were toast dude. Gone.

Nate climbed up a row of nails that served as stairs, and he entered another tunnel before he walked up to a familiar door. It was made of twigs and dried grass, but it was sturdy, Nate knew that. He pulled a stick out of its place, and the door opened. He walked in and fixed the door behind them, and as he turned a familiar man came out to meet him.

"Hey." Mark yawned and waved. "Where have you been? It's not borrowing time yet."

"Just thought I'd see what the humans are up to." Nate put his hands in his pockets and bit his lip. In truth, he'd been hoping to hear one of Mat's newest theories, but he had been disappointed. "There's a spider infestation in the theor- erm, uh, in the humans' closet," he informed. Mark frowned.

"That's not good." He looked behind him at one of the tunnels that served as a hallway. "We'll have to be extra careful. Their webs are sticky and make the perfect traps for us: Borrowers made good snacks for spiders." Nate shivered. He knew how hard Mark's life had been before moving here. His cousin had once lived in a street alley with his girlfriend Amy. There were all kinds of dangers outside of a house, and Nate was still impressed by how cunning Mark was. He was wise, cautious, and he always kept his head no matter what happened.

 _I wish I could be like him,_ Nate thought grumpily as Mark left to go check on Amy. He was nothing like his cousin; if anything, Nate was Mark's opposite. While Mark was strong, tan and brave, Nate was scrawny and pale, and he was one of the most jumpy borrowers ever to exist. He couldn't help but look up to Mark, he was everything that Nate wished he could be.

"Morning Nathan!" Nate looked to see a green haired Irish borrower in the other tunnel, and he smiled.

"Hey Jack." He tilted his head and tried to look behind him. "How's Signe?" Jack's friendly smile fell.

"Oh... well, she's doing better," he mumbled. "But she still can't walk. She doesn't even have the strength to get out of bed, actually. I'm really worried about her..." then he swallowed and forced a small smile. "It's almost borrowing time though. Maybe you could get some medicine for her?" He asked hopefully. Nate blinked.

"Me?" He squeaked. "Why not Mark? I mean, he's more capable..."

"Don't say that!" Jack gently exclaimed. "You both have very unique talents, your own gifts and abilities." Nate let his head hang a little.

"Sure," he muttered. But wonder still made his hopes rise. Could he prove it to himself if he got Signe some medicine? Nate knew his friends were supportive and welcoming, but he still struggled with his own doubts. What did he even contribute to their safety? He had made dumb mistakes in the past, and Mark was always the one who had to clean them up and cover his cousin's tracks. Hell, if it wasn't For Mark, Nate knew that the humans would have discovered them. Or he would have been captured; or killed; or eaten... as good as dead, in other words.

Nate lifted his head and squared his shoulders, looking Jack square in the eye. "I'll do my best though!" He told him. Jack's eyes lit up with hope.

"Thanks Nate!" Mark walked back in the room with a young blonde woman beside him.

"Hey Jack!" The two borrowers greeted each other. Amy walked over to Nate.

"Are you going out there with Mark?" She murmured.

"Jack wants some medicine for Signe," Nate muttered back. "Her pneumonia's getting worse."

"She needs cough medicine." Amy watched Jack with sympathy in her eyes as the Irish borrower talked to Mark. "And more importantly an acetaminophen."

"I know the medicine cabinet is in the kitchen, above the sink. Are you sure that's what she needs?" As he said the words, Nate already knew the answer.

"Of course I'm sure." Amy rolled her eyes and nudged Nate. "I studied medicinal practices."

"Just making sure," Nate chuckled. Mark finished talking with Jack and walked up to Nate and Amy.

"You ready to go?" He asked. Nate stiffened.

"Already?" He exclaimed. "It's early!"

"Jack really wants some medicine for Signe, and our food supplies are low," Mark explained. "Yesterday Ethan said we ran out of salt."

"Is he coming with us?" Mark shook his head.

"No, he's still asleep; he was out last night borrowing some string for Amy."

"On his own?" Nate grew worried. "He could have gotten hurt!"

"He's fine," Mark assured. "And so will we, just like every other borrowing we've been on, ok? Just stay close to me." Nate was dismayed. _I'm not a child!_ His mind snapped, but he ignored the voice in his head.

"I'm just being cautious," Nate reasoned. "Something could always go wrong, you never know."

"That's good, but I'm sure we'll be ok." Mark kissed Amy goodbye and patted Jack on the shoulder before he and Nate headed back into the tunnels. Nate followed closely behind his cousin as the two borrowers traveled the tunnel that led to the kitchen. The entrance was hidden behind Skip's cat bed, which always made Nate nervous.

Cats were dangerous for borrowers. They could hunt little people like Nate and his friends down like mice; in fact, that's really all they were to cats. Nate knew that Skip was actually a nice cat, but cats were animals with instincts, so it was best for him to just keep his distance.

"Coast is clear," Mark whispered. "Do you want to get the medicine or should I?" Nate narrowed his eyes in determination.

"N-no, I'll get it."

"Ok, I'm gonna go to the pantry and restock, be careful up there." Nate nodded and looked up at the counter. It towered over him, but Nate pushed his anxiety away and pulled his tackle out. He swung his hook and threw it, and the metal embedded into the towel that was left on the countertop. As he started climbing, Mark ran across the floor and headed to the pantry.

Nate was already out of breath when he made it onto the counter, so he hid behind the towel to catch his breath. He sighed and glanced to see Mark deftly make his way into the pantry. _Show off,_ his mind grumbled. But Nate was still filled with admiration. _I gotta keep up._ He turned and looked up at the cabinets. It was a long way up, but with effort and luck Nate knew he could get that cabinet door open.

His jaw clenched as Nate walked out on to the edge of the sink and threw his hook. It hit the handle and wrapped around it, and Nate gave it a small tug to make sure it was secure before he started climbing up.

Mark harvested bread crumbs and got into the seasonings cabinet to get the salt. As he grabbed handfuls of the white mineral, he glanced over his shoulder every now and then to check on Nate and make sure the coast was still clear. _I hope he doesn't hurt himself._ Mark knew Nate was a good kid, and he knew that his cousin was also headstrong. Jack often teased that Nate was a lot like Mark, and sometimes Mark wondered how the hell that was even possible. He loved Nate dearly as his family and would always protect him with every ounce of fiber in his body, but he couldn't possibly see any family resemblance other than the black hair and brown eyes.

 _Oh well, that's not what matters anyway._ Mark closed his bag and buttoned it up. _What matters is that family is family, and no matter what we're all a family, and I'll protect them all to the best of my ability._ Mark slung his bag over his shoulder and turned to leave the cabinet, but he stopped when he felt the ground start to shake with rhythmic thumps. _Oh fuck!_ Mark spun around and looked for Nate. The borrower was up in the medicine cabinet, and through the glass Mark could see he was peering at each label on different bottles.

Mark had no choice. he couldn't call out at Nate, that would alert the approaching human. Thinking fast, he pulled the cabinet door shut and hid in the back. He held his breath as he waited behind a bottle of olive oil. _Please let Nate be ok,_ he willed.

 

 

 

 

Stephanie walked into the kitchen and sighed, thinking. _What would make a nice dinner?_ She was thinking about making spaghetti, but she still wasn't sure. Her mind was still on the spiders, but Stephanie's thoughts were halted when she felt something tickle her arm.

"Huh?" Stephanie turned and looked to see a string hanging from one of the cabinets. Frowning, she grabbed it and untangled it from the handle. "... Mat?" She called.

"Yeah?" Mat's voice came from downstairs.

"Come and look at this." She walked off to meet Mat halfway, wanting to show him the strange object. "It's a string with a hook on it; is it yours?" Mat jogged up the stairs and met his wife in the hallway.

"No." He frowned. "Where did you find it?" He asked.

"I found it dangling from one of the cabinets." She handed the tackle to Mat. "At first I thought it was from a spider, but the hook..."

"I'll look into it," Mat assured her. "Leave it to me Steph, detective MatPat is on the case!"

"Ok." Stephanie smiled. "I'll be in the game room, let me know when you're done." She walked off and disappeared from the hallway, and Mat looked down at the hook and string.

"... time to find out what this thing is." He closed his fist around the tackle and started walking. _I know there's gotta be something else in this house, something other than just spiders. And I'm gonna find out what the heck it is._

 

 

 

 

Nate looked from bottle to bottle, dismayed. His head was spinning; there were so many. _Acetaminophen,_ he reminded himself. _You're looking for acetaminophen, and cough medicine._ He started his task and peered at the labels. _Nope. No. No not that one. No._ Nate groaned under his breath. _Why are there so many? I just need one!_

His frustration came to a screeching halt when he heard someone walk into the kitchen. _Damnit!_ Nate hid behind one of the bottles and waited for the person to walk by. _Just keep walking Stephanie,_ Nate wished desperately. _Just keep going, there's nothing to see here!_

"Huh?" Nate felt his chest clench with fear as Stephanie stopped and turned. He watched from the shadows to see that she had found his hook, and now she was taking it! "Mat?" She called out. _Oh no!_ Nate's jaw dropped and he silently gasped in horror as Stephanie walked off to find Mat. _No, no, no! This is bad! This is really, really bad! If Mat finds me-_ Nate stopped himself and peered through the glass. The pantry door was closed, meaning Mark was safe. Of course.

 _I've got time, I've got a chance,_ Nate told himself. He looked around and tried to decide what to do. He didn't have much time, but he had enough to make a choice. Should he try and make a break for it? He was stranded up here without his tackle, so if he tried going down he risked breaking multiple bones. But if he stayed in the cabinet, he risked getting found by Mat.

 _I''m just gonna have to make do and hide the best I can._ Nate ran to the bottle farthest back from the doors and tried to open it. It was as big as him, so he had to twist until his arms ached and shook with effort before he finally got it open. He held the cap up and climbed in the bottle. _Come on, come on!_ Nate's shallow pants echoed against the plastic walls as he heard footsteps re enter the kitchen. It was a tight squeeze, but he managed to press down and put the lid over him. As he wiggled to get comfortable on top of the hard pills that made up the half empty bottle, he heard the cabinet door open and froze.

 

 

 

 

Mat walked into the kitchen expecting something out of the ordinary, but everything looked normal. "Hmm." He hummed and looked around. He noticed the cabinet that the string had come from, and he also noticed that it was slightly open. He frowned and went over to it. When he opened the cabinet, nothing was out of place.

 _I wonder what it is?_ Mat thought to himself as he looked around in the cabinet. _It's apparently smart enough to climb with a hook and string, and it's been using those tunnels for who knows how long... I think._ He stuck his hand in and moved the pill bottles around. There wasn't anything behind them, but when his hand bumped into one of the bottles in the back, it fell over. The lid rolled off as the pills spilled out, scattering across the shelf.

"Dang it!" Mat exclaimed. _What a mess!_ He reached in and sweeped the pills up in a small pile, but he stopped and widened his eyes. Something else had fallen out too! It was small and dark, but as Mat looked it was moving. It was tiny person; he was pale and wearing dark clothes with dark hair and black square glasses. He looked like he was in shock though. Mat frowned before he reached in to grab the tiny man.

 

 

 

 

When Nate's hiding place fell over, he grunted as he came tumbling out with the pills. He hit his head and rolled to a stop face down, and he groaned into the shelf. _Ow._ Nate was dazed and confused for a few seconds and tried to sit up. He was addled and couldn't think to run away as he pushed himself up off the wood. He swayed and hung his head with another groan, trying to clear his thoughts.

But before he could recover, a shadow fell over Nate. Something huge and warm brushed against him and wrapped around the borrower, and Nate felt his feet leave the shelf as he was gently dragged out of the darkness and out into the open.

Mat pulled the borrower out and stared at him with awe. The tiny person's eyes were unfocused and half closed, and his chest worked against Mat's hand as Nate struggled to recover himself. Mat realized he didn't have long before Nate would realize where he was, so he took two steps to the right and opened another cabinet. He reached in and pulled out a Mason jar, and he tilted it and gently slipped Nate in.

Nate flinched when he slid and smacked against glass, and he moaned as he rolled over on his back. He watched with dazed thoughts as Mat carried the jar out of the kitchen and left with the borrower.

 

 

 

 

Mark had a really bad feeling when the human finally left. He was relieved that Mat was finally gone, but from the noise outside and the tingle of dread going down his nape, the borrower had a feeling that his cousin had been seen and captured.

 _Oh Nate. No..._ he slowly came out of hiding and pushed the door open a little to look out. _No_. Mark froze when he saw the mess left in the medicine cabinet, and his stomach dropped. _He's such a good kid, he didn't deserve to be caught!_ Mark quietly whimpered and covered his mouth just in case someone could hear him. _How am I going to get him out of this mess?_ Mark looked down the hall to see Mat disappear into the game room, and his jaw clenched. _Please, just hang in there Nate! I'm coming!_

 

 

 

 

Nate kept his eyes closed and laid still, hoping to fool the humans. If he could just play dead he could buy himself those extra few seconds and find a way to escape. His chest was tight and his heart pounded like a drum as Mat carried the jar into the game room.

"Stephanie." Stephanie looked up from the computer and smiled.

"Hi Mat." She was sitting next to Jason, who was wearing headphones and deftly going through something on the computer. Mat had his hand over the glass so that Stephanie wouldn't see Nate, and he nodded his head to the side. Stephanie nodded back and glanced at Jason to murmur, "I'll be right back." Mat left the room and waited in the hallway for Stephanie.

"Well?" Stephanie asked quietly. Mat looked to make sure Jason was fully unaware before he moved his hand and revealed Nate. "Aw!" Stephanie gasped. "What is that? Is it ok?"

"I don't know," Mat said. "I found it hiding in one of the pill bottles." Stephanie bent down and peered into the jar.

"It doesn't look ok," she remarked. "You didn't kill it did you?"

"No!" Mat gave Stephanie a mock look of shock. "Don't you know me by now Steph?" He chuckled.

"Well of course I do, I would sure hope so at least! It just doesn't look like it's ok." Mat tilted the jar and let Nate slide to the rim. Stephanie cupped her hands and gently picked the borrower up.

"It looks like a little tiny person." Stephanie rubbed her finger over the borrower's hair, mussing it affectionately.

"I know." Mat frowned. "How does it even exist though? It's so small and it must have one heck of a time sneaking around the house and taking food." He shook his head. "Better yet, I'd say it's fascinating for a humanlike creature this small to survive all on its own!" Stephanie nodded in agreement.

"He's not waking up though."

"What?" Mat peered at the borrower. He studied Nate for a few seconds before he noticed the slight but rapid rise and fall of his small chest. "Hmm..." he held his hand closer and suddenly snapped his fingers. Nate couldn't help but flinch and jolt away in fear, his eyes flying wide open with alarm.

"Mat!" Stephanie exclaimed. "You scared it!"

"Well sorry, but I had a feeling I knew exactly what it was doing," Mat explained. "It was faking, playing dead. It might be some sort of survival instinct, but it wasn't doing a very good job of it..." Nate looked and saw how high up he was.

"Ahh!" He cried out and fell over, backing away from the edge.

"M-Mat-"

"I got it, here, I got it." Nate growled desperately and squirmed when Mat picked him up.

"L-let me go!" He wailed. Mat's eyes were wide as he struggled to hold onto Nate.

"Hey relax little guy, we're not going to hurt you!" Nate stopped in the middle of pushing Mat's finger away and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"You're... you're not?" He whimpered. "Y-you won't-" Nate stopped and shivered as he let his imagination run wild. "You won't dissect me for science, o-or kill me or something?" Mat and Stephanie exchanged appalled glances.

"No, of course not." Nate slumped over Mat's fingers in relief as he gasped out a grateful sigh. He was still uncomfortable being chest deep in the human's fist and five feet high in the air, but at least they weren't going to kill him.

"We like science, but we're not murderers," Stephanie added, sympathy in her eyes. Nate nervously glanced up at her.

"Are you sure?" He asked in a small voice. Then he wanted to kick himself. _Damnit Nate stop sounding like an eight year old!_

"Promise," Mat assured. The reassurance still made Nate's chest feel less tight, and he sighed in relief.

"Th-thanks." He glanced down at the floor and thought about Jack's fear of heights, and he remembered why it was a good idea to respect the Irish borrower for his wary. "Can-can you put me down now?" He forced himself to squeak out. "P-please?"

"Oh, yeah of course." Mat looked around for a place to put Nate down, but he scowled when he remembered that the spider infested closet was right behind him. "On second thought, you might be safer up here," he mumbled awkwardly. Nate frowned and wiggled a little.

"Can you at least hold your hand out flat, please? This is really uncomfortable," he asked.

"Sure." Mat moved his hand and held it out flat like a platform, but he used both of his hands and slightly cupped them so Nate could feel safer. Nate shivered and sat up warily.

"Thanks," he muttered. 

"So what's your name? Do you have one?" Mat asked. Nate glanced at Mat with surprise. He had expected the first question to be: "What are you?"

"Yeah, it's Nate." Nate did his best to not sound so scared.

"How long have you been here Nate?" Stephanie asked. It was an innocent question, but Nate felt a small prickle of indignation.

"Well..." he frowned. "Not long, just a few weeks, maybe a-a month?" He scratched the back of his head, thinking now. "Hmm..."

"What are you?" Mat finally couldn't contain himself and had to ask the question.

"Mat!" Stephanie chided. Nate found this funny for some reason and laughed.

"It's ok," he said. "I'm a borrower."

"A what?" Mat and Stephanie asked at the same time. Nate gave the couple a small shrug.

"A borrower. We- well, my kind at least, we live in humans' houses and use stuff that they don't need. We don't steal," Nate quickly added when he saw Mat frown. "We only borrow what we need."

"That sounds hard," Stephanie murmured.

"It is," Nate agreed grimly. "We always have to look over our shoulders and watch our backs, falling from what would be a small hop for you could break our bones, and mice and other pests could move in and try to chase us out, and then the humans-" Nate stopped himself and remembered that he was speaking to humans. He stopped for a second and continued nervously. "W-well, not all humans are nice. Some are mean and nasty people, others are decent." Nate paused for a few seconds as he violently shuddered, recalling something.

"Before I came here, there was a human that drank all the time. Since he was always drunk, he didn't seem like much of a threat, you know? But one day when I was borrowing, he just suddenly woke up and saw me." Nate shivered. "He-he tried to kill me, and he almost succeeded had he not tripped on his own clumsy feet." Stephanie looked sad as she gently rubbed Nate's back with her finger. Nate squared his shoulders nervously, but he was grateful for the gesture. And then he realized how much he had just told two complete strangers, and to humans!

"Well now that we've found you, you don't have to go anywhere." Mat smiled at Nate. "You don't have to be scared either, we could take care of you!"

"Yeah!" Stephanie agreed. She smiled too. "Or the least we could do is help." Nate looked at the two humans, overwhelmed with disbelieving gratitude.

"I-I don't know..." Nate's hopes plummeted as he thought about the others. What would they say about talking to humans!? It had been risky enough for Nate to take an interest in Mat's cool YouTube theories, but would it be too much for Nate to let the humans help? They would never have to go hungry again, and they wouldn't have to be afraid, and Signe could even get her medicine!

"You can think about it," Mat suggested. "There's no hurry to make a decision. I'm sure it's a big decision." Nate nodded, but before he could say anything, he heard a small scream.

"Mark!" Nate gasped. His stomach lurched when he realized that the scream came from the closet. _Oh no, Mark! He must have been trying to sneak up and save me!_

"Who's Mark?" Mat asked.

"Quick! I need to get to the closet!" Nate pulled on Mat's thumb. "Quickly!" Confused, Mat did as Nate asked and walked to the closet door. He crouched down and put his hands on the floor, and Nate raced off and ran into the closet.

"Mark!" He saw his borrowing friend struggling to fight off the spiders that were swarming him.

"Nate!? Keep back!" Mark shrieked as he was overwhelmed with the spiders. Nate didn't know what to do, panicking. _Oh what the hell do I do, what do I do!?_ He cried out when Stephanie pulled him away, and he squirmed.

"What are you doing!?" Nate exclaimed as he was safely moved away from the closet.

"Just keep back, Mat's got your friend!" Stephanie held Nate against her stomach as Nate strained against her hand. He watched with wide eyes as Mat brushed the spiders away, but more and more kept coming.

"Ah screw it!" Mat suddenly exclaimed. He bit his lip and scooped Mark up, along with a few of the spiders that were attacking him. His hand jerked every time one of the baby spiders bit him, but he refused to drop Mark as he urgently brushed and flicked the spiders away. Then he finally bowled over on his side and slammed the closet door shut with his foot.

"Mark!" As soon as Stephanie let Nate go he ran across the hard floor and made a beeline for his cousin. "Mark! Are you ok?" Mark groaned and sat up in Mat's hand.

Uh... yeah I think so." He checked himself out and added, "I've got a few bites but those spiders aren't poisonous."

"Thank goodness!" Mat groaned. "They bit my hand!" Nate helped Mark climb off of the theorist's hand, and Stephanie helped Mat up.

"You sure you're ok?" She asked. "No nausea or dizziness?"

"I'm fine Steph." Nate whacked Mark on the head.

"Ow!" He yelped. "What was that for?"

"Goddamnit, you red haired bastard!" Nate snapped. "What were you thinking!? You could have gotten eaten alive!"

"Hey! I was just trying to save your ass!" The whites of Mark's eyes were showing as he gawked at Nate. "And your welcome!" He added haughtily.

"Welcome!?" Nate exclaimed. "You're the one who got attacked by spiders, and they weren't going to hurt me! And I didn't even need your help, I'm sick of you treating me like a child! In fact-" Nate stuck his chest out, indignant. "-Mat and Stephanie offered to let me live with _them_ instead of mucking around in dark nooks and crannies!" Mark stared.

"Wh... wh-what!?" Flustered, Mark messed with the red dyed floof on his head. "How do you even know their names, and why are you talking to them!? They're humans, and why the hell would you trust them!?"

"Because they're nice!" Nate crossed his arms, ignoring the two humans as Mat and Stephanie watched the scene unfold with wide eyes. "And sure Mat scared me a bit in the beginning, but they're really nice people! Honest!"

"Oh yeah? Like that drunkard that you thought was a good idea to room in with!?" Mark yelled, finally losing his temper. Nate flinched and recoiled as if he had been struck.

"G-guys-" Stephanie tried to interrupt, but Mat stopped her.

"Let them talk it out Steph," he murmured. "This is between them." Nate glared at Mark before he suddenly whipped around and started stalking off. Mark lost his aggressive stance and widened his eyes, immediately regretting yelling at Nate.

"N-Nate-" Mark tried to follow his cousin, but Nate put his hand up and didn't look back.

"Don't," he growled. "Just go home. You don't need me anyway, you're better off without always risking your neck for me, I'm useless anyway so... just-JUST GO!" Mark frowned sadly and looked at Nate's turned back for a few seconds with teary eyes. He bit his lip and glanced up at Mat and Stephanie, and then he growled; angry at himself, he turned and walked away, heading for the kitchen. Nate crouched down and covered his face and groaned, exhaling a shaky breath and squeezing his eyes shut.


	5. Think Before You Act (Mark and Jack)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be careful when you find a borrower. They could get hurt.
> 
> Giant!Mark, (along with Giant!Tyler and Giant!Ethan) and Tiny!Jack

"HEY!" Jack slammed his fist against the glass. "Let me out!" He screamed, "Get back here you motherfuckers!" But even with his powerful lungs and capable vocal chords, not even Jack the loudmouthed Irish borrower could reach the ears of the two humans who were walking away. Jack hit the glass wall again with a frustrated grunt, and then he doubled over and cursed as he cradled his throbbing fist.

"Son of a bitch!" He snarled. His fury died as fear crept over him, and he shivered. Of all the worst things that could happen to a borrower, Jack had gotten caught by one of the humans in the house, but then his horror only grew from there. The blue haired man had called over his beanie-wearing friend, and the two ogled Jack with awe. He shuddered as he recalled how their unstoppable hands grabbed him and ran their fingerprints over him like children playing with a doll, and then it only got worse from there! The beanie man had taken Jack and put him in a jar, and the blue haired man had written on a post it note and slapped it on the top of the jar. Now Jack was trapped in a Mason jar in a paper bag, with limited oxygen and adrenaline making him break out into terrified rashes.

 _At least I don't sweat. I'd be pumping it out by the pints by now._ Jack shuddered and eyed the contents of the jar. The men didn't even have the decency to get all of the pickle juice out. They took the pickles out and poured out most of the juice to put Jack in, but it still pooled around the borrower's feet and was overwhelming his nose with the smell of vinegar. _I need to calm down,_ Jack suddenly realized. _My oxygen will last longer if I do, and I need to wait until I can find a way to escape._ But no matter how hard he tried, his chest didn't stop heaving as his heart thrashed in his chest. He was fucking terrified.

Thirty minutes passed, and Jack's breathing was gradually slowing. His mind was finally calming down, but already he was starting to feel lightheaded. Minutes ticked by, and Jack had to sit down and lean against the glass.

 _How long will they leave me here? Have they forgotten about me?_ Jack rested his cheek against the glass wall, his eyelids already drooping as he inhaled a shallow breath. His breath fogged the glass as he slowly felt like someone was trying to choke him, his lungs burned and his body ached, but as he closed his eyes Jack could have sworn he felt the jar move.

Light shined on Jack's eyelids, and the Irish borrower twitched feebly. He opened his eyes, but his vision was blurry. His senses were clouded. He couldn't feel the pickle juice slosh around him, but he felt gravity tug on his insides before a muffled clatter shook the jar.

Jack slumped and fell over on his side, and just before he blacked out he could have sworn he heard someone shouting.

 

 

 

 

Mark hummed happily to himself as he grabbed the groceries and carried them inside. On the couch he quickly noticed Tyler and Ethan huddled together and exchanging excited whispers. Smirking, Mark walked over to them.

"Hello, lovebirds," he said loudly. His voice was as smooth as butter. "What's Tythan up to these days?" He teased. Ethan jumped and sat up straight in his seat as he looked at Mark wildly.

"Mark!" He exclaimed, embarrassed.

"Hey Mark." Tyler intoned with a wave. Mark giggled and carried on into the kitchen.

"Is Felix here yet?" Mark called.

"No, not yet," Ethan answered. As Mark put the groceries on the counter he noticed a brown bag.

"What's this?" He asked his two friends. He reached into the bag as Ethan jumped out of his seat and exclaimed, "No wait, don't touch that!" but it was too late. Mark pulled out an empty pickle jar, and he immediately frowned.

"Guys?" He read the note as Tyler and Ethan ran into the kitchen. "Do not let out. Show this to Felix when he gets here. It's around two inches tall." Mark put the jar down and peered inside. His jaw dropped when he saw what was in the jar; a tiny green haired man was slumped against the glass wall, his eyes half shut and pickle juice swamping his waist and legs. His knees were just above the juice's surface, but the tiny man was completely soaked.

"What the hell did you guys do!?" Mark gasped. Panic squeezed his chest when he saw the small man fall over on his side, and he started unscrewing the lid.

"Mark! Wait!" Ethan cried. He tried to get Mark's attention, but all the broad man could think about was getting that poor little guy out. As soon as he pulled the lid off, the borrower went limp. Mark's heart hammered in his chest as he reached in and gently scooped Jack out of the jar.

"Oh my god..." Mark flashed his friends an appalled glance. "What the hell did you do!?" He snapped. Tyler flinched.

"Ethan found it trying to steal from the pantry, so we decided to keep it in a jar until you and Felix came." Mark rolled the borrower over with his finger and felt his chest. His stomach dropped.

"He's not breathing!" Fear surged through Mark's body as he started pushing on the borrower's chest with one finger. Ethan guiltily hung back behind Tyler, horror in both of their eyes; they had realized their actions. "Come on little guy, come on!" Mark's legs were shaking, so he sat on the floor as he kept pushing on Jack's chest. "Damnit, come on!" He whispered desperately.

Jack suddenly recoiled in Mark's hand as his eyes flew open, and he gasped loudly as he curled up and clutched his chest. Relief flooded all three humans' eyes, and Mark sighed.

"Jesus Christ, that gave me a scare." He rubbed Jack's back as the borrower coughed and wheezed. When Jack calmed back down and laid in Mark's hand with his eyes closed and his mouth open, Ethan warily stepped closer.

"... Is it-is it ok?" He murmured. Mark bit his lip and chose his next words carefully.

"He's alive." He shook his head as they listened to Jack's ragged breathing. "What were you guys thinking though?"

"We didn't mean to suffocate it!" Ethan whined. Tyler was frowning, but Mark could see in his eyes that he too regretted his actions. He sighed and stood, holding the borrower up against his chest.

"I'm sure you didn't," he reasoned. "But just think next time all right? Whatever it is, it could have died." They both nodded and chorused in agreement and apologized. "I'm gonna take it to my room, ok? Don't tell Felix about this, he'll be tired from his flight. We can wait and figure out what to do next later," Mark said.

"Sure thing," Tyler answered. "Just make sure that thing is ok." Mark nodded and carried Jack to his room. He closed the door behind him with his foot and looked down when Jack whimpered. His eyes softened as his anger faded to concern. The poor thing was nothing but skin and bones, and Mark could feel Jack's tiny stomach heaving against his palm as the borrower gulped in fresh air.

"You poor thing," Mark murmured. He sat on his bed and cupped his hands together, holding Jack in a canoe shape. "I don't know what exactly happened while I was gone, but it was an accident. My friends are really nice, they just didn't know any better." Mark pursed his lips, thinking, before he continued. "But it must be so hard for a little guy like you." As he kept talking, Jack's breathing started slowing down. "Running around with everything bigger than you, having giant assholes like me stomp around not even looking before they step. At least I know I'm taller than someone." Mark attempted to chuckle, but the laughter quickly died in his throat.

"Look," He sighed. "I don't know if you're human or-or if you can understand me, because you sure look like one, but I'm really sorry about what happened." Mark started rubbing the borrower's back again. "But you're gonna be ok," he continued, "You'll be safe here, with me, until you're back at full health, and then you can leave if you want." Sadness creeped up on Mark, and he frowned. "Oh but you're so tiny..." he breathed. "Can you even survive in such a crazy big world?" Jack didn't answer, of course, but Mark could feel like he knew the answer. He tilted his hand and gently hugged Jack against his stomach. The borrower moved a little; he shivered and pressed against Mark, his eyes closed and his breathing stable.

An urge to protect the small life came over Mark, and he smiled as he gently mussed the little Irish borrower's hair. "It'll be ok," He murmured. "I'll keep you safe."

 


	6. Hug a Giant Day (Jack and Mark)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was posted on time on my other account, so shush I'm not late! XD
> 
> Giant!Jack and Tiny!Mark

"Jaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhck!" Mark pushed the giant's arm as he dragged his name out, trying to wake the sleeping alien. But Jack had been up all night editing videos, so the task would prove difficult for Mark. But the engineer didn't give up. Undaunted, the small man climbed Jack's shirt and marched up his chest to poke Jack's cheek. A muscle twitched in his jaw, but the giant snored on.

"Jack, Jack, Jaaaack." Mark climbed down Jack's shoulder and started chanting the giant's name in his ear to try and wake him up, but the giant groaned and turned his head, pinning Mark under his cheek. Mark yelped and wiggled out from under, and then he started poking the tip of the giant's nose.

"Jaaaaack!" He whined. "Wake up!" He was startled when the giant suddenly opened his sleepy blue eyes, but his surprise was swept away with impatience as he bopped the giant's nose. Jack closed his eyes with a sleepy rumble and scrunched his nose up.

"Mark?" Jack groaned. "What time is it?"

"It's time for you to get your lazy ass up!" Mark ran and jumped into Jack's hand, and the fingers twitched with surprise as they slightly curled around his small frail body. The giant lifted his head and looked at the clock, only to groan and shove his head under a pillow.

"It's six thirty AM!" He complained, muffled. "Dude, what the fuck is wrong with you? Don't humans need sleep too?"

"I'm too excited to sleep any more!" Mark bounced around in Jack's hand before climbing up his arm to stand on his shoulder. Jack uttered a few more sleepy groans.

"Excited?" He mumbled. Mark glanced at Jack's phone. At the moment it was just a small rectangular black thing, but when pushing the button Mark had gotten the holoscreen to turn on. Having been excited by this discovery, Mark had explored the depths of Jack's phone before finding something interesting on his calendar. It was called Hug a Giant Day, and with a little more digging he had also found Hug a Tiny Day. Googling these two days, he discovered that these giants celebrated the creatures that were much smaller than them and usually enjoyed a nice barbeque or something. But Mark had come up with a brilliant idea...

Jack suddenly pulled his head out and sat up with a yawn. Mark tumbled and grabbed Jack's sleeve before the drowsy giant could accidentally shake him off.

"What's with all the excitement then?" Jack reached for his phone as Mark crawled back onto his shoulder, and he watched from his bony perch as the giant leafed through his phone. He immediately noticed the search history and the tab left open on his calendar, and he scowled at his shoulder. "Dude! You went on my phone?"

"I didn't know what it was!" Mark defended himself but he was smiling. "Your technology is a little bit more advanced than mine." Jack huffed and put his phone down.

"Good god, if the rest of your kind is as nosy as you, you all might just go extinct." Mark giggled as Jack reached for him, and he let himself be picked up and held up to the giant's eyes. There was a twinkle of amusement in his bright blue eyes, and Mark grinned sheepishly.

"The universe can't handle two of me, that would be too much awesomeness." Mark puffed his chest out and crossed his arms, making Jack laugh.

"The universe would end if there were two of ya."

"Probably," Mark admitted with a chuckle. Then he sat up and poked Jack's hand. "But do you know what today is?" He asked impatiently. Jack's brow furrowed.

"Um..." he scratched his head and yawned again, blasting Mark with a warm breeze of minty air. "Do you guys have some kind of Hug a Giant and Tiny days?" He rumbled.

"No," Mark admitted. "But I thought since my people haven't come for me yet that we could make our own tradition!" Mark gestured to his body as he added, "I'm tiny anyways, in your eyes, and you're gargantuan in my eyes. So that makes me the tiny of this relationship, and you the giant." Jack hummed in agreement.

"So what's your point? My body doesn't want to get out of bed yet," he grumbled. Instead of answering, Mark hugged the giant's nose, and Jack immediately froze with wide eyes, completely caught off guard.

"... that's my point." Mark smiled up at Jack, and to his relief the giant relaxed and nuzzled him.

"That's not a proper hug though!" Jack gently pulled Mark off and held him against his chest. "There we go," he murmured. Even though he was still sleepy, he couldn't possibly be angry at little Markimoo, especially not when the engineer was trying so hard to fit in with the giant world that he did not belong in. A wave of protectiveness washed over the green haired giant, and he lay down on his side and continued to hug Mark close to his heart with his hand. Jack closed his eyes as he felt Mark squirm a little to get more comfortable, and a drowsy smile shaped his lips in a content curve as he slowly exhaled.

Mark sighed happily and closed his eyes too. He felt safe, and somehow Jack made him feel like everything was going to be ok.

 


	7. Winter Cuddles (Jack and Mark)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giant!Jack and Tiny!Mark

"J-Jack..." Jack frowned and slowly woke up as Mark tugged on his pointy ear. "Jack," Mark stammered again. His voice was small and childish in the giant's ear, and concerned Jack opened his eyes.

"Mahrk?" He mumbled drowsily. "What is it?" He realized he could hear the small man's teeth chattering; Mark was shivering.

"I-I can't f-f-feel m-my body," Mark stuttered. Jack slowly turned over and looked down at Mark. He was unusually pale, and every fiber of his body shook violently with trembles.

"What's wrong?" But as he asked the question, Jack became aware of the chilly air that nipped the areas of his skin that weren't under the covers. "Oh fuck." Jack sat up and looked at the window. Frost fogged the glass panels, and outside was a white winter world.

"Shit!" Jack gasped. "It's not suppose to snow until next week!" He laid down and scooped Mark up. He gasped again immediately. "Mark! You're ice cold!" He laid the shivering engineer on the sheets and nudged him against his throat. Mark shuddered and curled up, pressing against the giant's neck.

"C-cold," he murmured, closing his eyes. Jack put his hand over his tiny friend and rubbed his back.

"Come on Mark, it'll be ok," he stammered. "You're gonna be just fine."

"I-I'm so... t-t-tired..." Mark yawned. He barely had enough energy to nuzzle against Jack. A bolt of fear struck the giant.

"No!" He gently shook Mark. "Stay awake, ok? Here." Jack pulled the covers over his head and held Mark close. "You're gonna be ok, you're gonna be just fine," Jack repeated. "Just keep talking to me, stay awake, ok? You can rest after you've warmed up." Mark whimpered and opened his eyes.

"Warm..." He whispered. His voice was sluggish and frail, and it made Jack's hairs stand on end to hear the deep-voiced human speak so brokenly.

"That's right, I'm warm," Jack murmured. He kept his voice low as he continued rubbing Mark's back. "I'm very warm, I'm the hottest guy around!" Mark managed to smile as he closed his eyes again.

"W-whatever b-b-boosts your-your ego..." he sighed. For thirty minutes, Jack laid there trying to warm his friend up, worrying fervently that every time Mark took a breath he might never move again. But after three quarters of an hour, Jack could feel the small engineer finally warming back up to room temperature. He sighed in relief and swallowed to get rid of his cotton dry mouth.

"We need to get something warm in ya," he murmured. Mark shifted under Jack's hand and, still shivering, brushed his head against the hairs on the giant's coarse chin.

"S-some hot c-c-coffee would b-b-be nice," he stammered. Jack nodded and carefully yawned.

"You wanna stay here, or do you want to come with me?" Mark immediately nodded; he didn't want to go or stay anywhere without Jack. "Ok." Jack slipped his hand under Mark and slowly sat up. The cool air made Jack's skin prickle, and he felt his little buddy weakly shudder in his hand. "Pocket or shoulder?"

"P-p-pocket, p-please." Once Mark was situated in his little warm slice of heaven, Jack climbed out of bed and went into his closet. He yawned again as he browsed through the different articles of clothing, and then he finally pulled out a coat he thought would suffice.

"Is this too tight for you?" Jack asked as he buttoned it up. "I can leave the top buttons undone." Mark opened his eyes and tested the walls of fabric.

"It's-it's all r-r-right," he mumbled. He didn't care if things were a bit of a tight squeeze, all that mattered to him at the moment was warmth, Jack's body heat. The familiar rhythm of the giant's heartbeat thumped in Mark's ears, and Mark closed his eyes again. His mind took him away from the thick fabric walls that pressed against him and offered protection, and he imagined himself laying in a warm meadow with grass dancing in the wind and glowing rays of sunshine sparkling on his skin.

Mark dozed off as he continued his daydream. He could see Chica, his sweet Labrador, bound over to him and lick his face with her sandpaper tongue, and he could see himself laughing as he sat up and hugged the dog, rolling around with her in a play fight through the luscious green grass. Then his mind stretched and took him farther away. He imagined the faces of his friends and felt both sad and happy. Would he ever find them? Would he ever go home?

Did he even want to go home...?

Mark's daydream was stopped when he was gently prodded, and he woke up confused. "Huh?" He blinked sleep out of his eyes and saw that Jack was gently poking him awake.

"Wakey wakey sleepyhead," the giant murmured. Mark yawned and cuddled Jack's finger.

"Don't wanna," he whined. He could easily imagine that Jack was smiling at him and on the verge of fanboying.

"Maaarrrk, come on!" Jack encouraged. "I want you to drink this, it'll help you warm up. Then you can go back to sleep, ok?" Mark groaned and clutched Jack's finger, wanting to go back to sleep. But Jack took this as a yes and gently pulled Mark out. Mark covered his eyes and whimpered, curling up in a ball.

"Jaaaaaaaack," he complained drowsily. He sneezed with a jerk and covered his nose with his forearm. "Ugh..." he groaned. Jack frowned.

"Great, I bet you have a cold." He put the small spaceman on the table beside a cap full of a steaming brown liquid. Mark sniffed and rubbed his nose. It smelled like hot cocoa, but it hard to be sure at the moment.

Jack picked up his own mug of the drink and took a sip. "Ahh," he sighed. He licked his lips and took another drink. Mark sniffed again as he picked the cap up and gently blew on it to cool it off. He took a small sip, and then he relaxed as the hot liquid sloshed into his stomach, heating his body core. It tasted even better than hot cocoa! Back on Earth people's cocoa was from a processed powder that, to Mark, tasted like dirt, but this was rich and silky, and it slipped down his throat as smoothly as eating a cloud.

As Mark drank his fill he could feel the cold ebb and release its icy grip on his body, and he let out a tired sigh. Jack slurped his last gulp up and set the mug down.

"You feeling any better?" He asked. Mark nodded, but he didn't speak. He didn't want to stop drinking, and he kept going until he polished off the last drop. He set the cap down and licked his lips, savoring the taste.

"That was really good," he murmured. Jack smiled and took the cap and mug and went to wash them.

"You any warmer now?"

"Yeah." Mark froze and suddenly sneezed again. Jack tensed and turned to look at the engineer.

"Dude!" Mark sniffed and rubbed his nose again. Jack sighed and walked back to Mark. "You definitely have a cold," he announced.

"Thanks for the Facebook update," Mark grumbled. Jack frowned but he didn't ask what Facebook was. _Good,_ Mark thought, _I'm too tired to answer questions right now._ He yawned while Jack crouched down and looked at his small friend on the same eye level.

"You wanna go back to bed?" Jack asked. "It's still early, the sun's barely up." Mark blinked sleepily at the giant and nodded as he yawned again. Jack couldn't help but think how adorable the sleepy little man looked as he reached over and scooped Mark up.

"Where does the wild Markimoo want to sleep?" Jack asked as he carried Mark back to their room. Mark rubbed his eyes and shrugged.

"I don't know," he muttered. He didn't care, just as long as he could sleep somewhere safe and warm.

"You want to sleep in your bed?" Mark quickly shook his head.

"I woke up freezing," he admitted. Jack frowned and pursed his lips.

"Hmm..." Jack put Mark on his bed and took his coat off. Mark sank in the covers and sighed pleasantly; the giant's body heat was still imprinted on the bed sheets... Jack hung his coat up and turned to look at Mark. He thought for a second before shrugging.

"I guess you could sleep with me," he suggested. "I don't toss and turn in my sleep, and you've slept in my pocket before." Mark nodded and sneezed into his arm.

"Ok sure." He glanced up at Jack with a small grin. "But don't get too comfy babe," he teased. Jack scowled and rolled his eyes.

"You wish I were your babe! But you can't handle all of this bossness!" Mark giggled as Jack climbed back into bed and wriggled under the covers. He waited until Jack got comfortable, and then he climbed off the sea of covers and made his way up the giant's chest. Jack held his pocket open for the small engineer, and Mark gratefully brushed against his thumb before crawling into the small place and curled up at the bottom.

Mark felt his body relax as he was surrounded by the familiar warmth and fabric. He sighed and closed his eyes, and he felt a weight settle on top of him. He smiled; he knew Jack's hand was covering the pocket, protecting him from the big bad things that would just love to get their fangs or claws on a tiny little thing like himself. In this case, he was keeping the cold away.

Mark was so glad he had his own special little safe place.

 


	8. Misplaced (Jack and Mark) (Part 1?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My contest entry for a fellow on Tumblr :)

Mark could swear he had the worst luck a borrower could possibly ever have.

After all this time he had tried to stay away from Jack to not have so many close encounters, but never before was an encounter as close or nightmare-inducing as this. It started in the late afternoon; Mark was getting ready for his borrowing session in the safety of the walls. As much as he hated to venture out into the open, he needed to go out there and get some salt. As he packed his few necessary supplies, Mark paused and listened for Jack's footsteps.

 _Good, he's in his room._ His borrowing time took place after Jack ate dinner, so Mark could slip in and out of the kitchen with a better chance of Jack not walking in on him. His chest gave a little squeeze at the very thought of getting close to Jack again. Too many times for comfort the human had come so close to discovering Mark, a borrower hiding in the walls of his home. If he was caught, then Mark would have no idea what would happen then. Maybe Jack would sell him? Maybe the human would keep him as a pet, put him in a jar and ogle him like something in a museum. But no matter what, Mark knew that if he was Seen, if he was found... then that would be the end of Mark Fischbach. Doneso.

Mark shook his head out of his thoughts and grabbed his bag. _I need to stop dreading,_ he scolded himself. _If you keep thinking on it then it'll happen, just relax and get what you need..._ He instructed his body through the familiar routine and walked through the tunnel that led to the kitchen. He looked out, first only peeking his head out in the open. Then once the coast was clear he emerged. Every muscle in his body was tense and trained to run if something happened, and so Mark hoped this time things would go a little better.

He ran across the counter and headed for the cabinet he needed to get to. It hovered high over his head suspended over even the tallest of humans, but Mark knew that despite his size he could make it. _It's gonna be a pain in the ass getting up there, but I can manage._ He unwound his hook and swung it, aimed, and threw it. Luckily for him, the hook snagged the door handle first try. Pleased, Mark tested the string, then pulled the door open a little with all his might, and then he began to climb. He deftly made his way up his rope and crawled into the cabinet. Once he caught his breath, he got up and looked around at the assorted shelves.

 _All right, let's see..._ Mark  wandered down the row. _He finally got more rosemary, some celery salt too... but all I need is regular salt._ He frowned and looked up at the other shelves.

"Did he move it?" He murmured. Mark scratched the back of his head and climbed up the rough wooden wall, traversing onto the next shelf. _Bingo!_ He ran to the salt and worked the lid off. Opening his bag he scooped a couple handfuls of the white mineral until the sack was full. When the borrower was done, he put the lid back on and made his way back to the bottom.

 _Ok._ He sighed and started climbing down the string. _I gotta hurry and get back home_. But about halfway down, the borrower's sharp ears picked up approaching footsteps. Mark blanched. _Oh no. No oh shit this is not good!_ Mark slid down and tried to hurry, but the friction of the string made his hands burn. Losing his grip, he fell the last few inches and collapsed on the countertop with a solid thump. _Ow._ Mark groaned and tried to sit up, but his breath had left his body. He couldn't move, stunned, and all he could do was lay there limp and out in plain view as Jack walked into the kitchen humming.

 _Play dead!_ Mark quickly closed his eyes and prayed his idiotic plan would work. _It's stupid, but I can't move, maybe he won't notice me..._

 

 

 

 

Jack hummed happily as he reached for the coffee maker and turned to the sink. As he filled the container, he noticed a speck of color that stood out against the white tiled counter. When he looked, his eyes widened, and he turned the faucet off.

 _Whoa!_ He set the container down and walked over to investigate. It looked like a tiny person, only it was lifeless. _Of course it is you idiot,_ Jack scolded himself before his childlike wonder kicked in.

"Aww!" He exclaimed. He picked it up and held it up at eye level. "Aww yer so cute!" He fanboyed. "You're like a tiny little fella, d'aww." He put it in his hand and poked at it curiously. "It looks so realistic..." he mused out loud. Jack glanced around. _Where did it come from though?_ But then Jack remembered his coffee, and he shrugged it off. "Oh well," he sighed. "I'll put ya in my pocket little action figure." He opened his pocket and slipped the small thing inside, and he closed the flap and pat his chest. "There we go, safe and sound."

Now content Jack carried along humming as he brewed some coffee and headed back to his room.

 

 

 

 

This wasn't good. This was the opposite of good! Mark had played dead so Jack wouldn't find him, and now he was trapped in the giant human's pocket! This wasn't what was suppose to happen!

 _I must have the worst possible luck ever,_ Mark thought grumpily. Inside the pocket it was confined and really warm, warmer than Mark had ever felt in fact. Due to the shape of the pocket Mark had been forced to curl up at the bottom, and so he was now stuck, in the hands of a human- or, rather, pocket- and worst of all he couldn't even move. Mark wondered if he was small enough to climb out without getting noticed, but in the end he was too scared to even scratch his nose.

He clenched his eyes shut tightly as Jack's stride swung him in a steady rocking motion that made the borrower think of the ocean. _No, don't think about that!_ Mark frowned, anxious. _You're just fine, you're on land! Actually, none of that is true, you're suspended five feet in the air and less than an inch away from Jack... damnit._ When Jack finally sat down and continued working, Mark slowly relaxed and went limp. But now he had to figure a way out of the pocket, and without letting Jack know.

 _He thought I was a toy._ Amusement flashed in his heart at the same time as he got annoyed. _Seriously? I mean I'm glad he didn't realize I was alive or throw me out, but come on, how old is this guy?_ Mark knew he shouldn't be so quick to judge. Jack didn't know any better; he didn't know that borrowers existed or Mark lived in his walls. It was his natural reaction to assume the borrower was a toy and take it.

Mark sighed and closed his eyes, listening to the rhythmic booming of the human's giant heart. _I suppose I could just wait until he goes to sleep._ The idea of being so close to a human for so long made Mark's skin crawl despite the loneliness he had felt many times living under the human's roof, but what choice did he have?

It was either that or Jack would find out just how realistic Mark really was. 

 

 

 

 

Mark could have sworn he closed his eyes for only a second, but when he opened them he was in a completely different place. The overwhelming heat of Jack's body was gone, and in its place was solid black wood. _Where am I?_ Groggy, Mark sat up and yawned. Looking around he noticed immediately that he was very high up, and he blanched. _Oh shit..._ he recognized the room. In Jack's room there was a black shelf full of action figures and other sorts of things like that.

 _Oh goodie._ Mark looked down and saw Jack conked out at his desk, his hair looked like a wild unkempt knoll, and he was snoring. _Well, I got my wish. He's asleep, and I'm out of his pocket... Mark looked around._

_But how the fuck am I gonna get down from here?_

With a sigh Mark walked across the shelf and weaved past the assorted action figures to head to the shelf wall. Jack was right below him now, which made Mark very nervous as he started climbing down. He glanced at the human every time he had to look for the next nick or groove in the wood, hoping that he would stay asleep.

 _Come on, come on, go faster..._ His heart was hammering in his chest as he climbed down past the middle shelf. His arms were starting to shake, and Mark's hands were hurting. He regretted sliding down that string so fast. The burns would limit him for a couple of days until he could rest. _I'll have to try wrapping them with cloth next time,_ Mark thought. _If there's a next time._ He looked down at Jack again. He was a foot above the human, but Mark could hear him breathing. Quiet snores told the borrower he was still sleeping, which was good for Mark's comfort. But he knew he didn't have much longer. The birds were already starting to chirp and sing outside, and it was getting brighter with every minute that passed.

Mark started climbing again before his arm suddenly gave out at him, and he gasped as his legs lost their sturdy disposition. He dangled with his last hand gripping on to a groove for dear life, but Mark knew he was about to fall; He had asked too much of his body for this crazy day. Quickly Mark scanned his environment, wondering where he could safely fall. The floor stretched out vast and far below him, and a no-go. The desk was solid wood, he'd break a few bones there too- if he was lucky.

The only thing below him was Jack's wild mop of hair; soft and a good landing pad to break the fall, but reckless and insane. Mark looked around for something else, but time was running out. His body was vibrating with effort to hold on as precious seconds ticked by. _I gotta do it then._ Mark groaned inwardly and let go.

For a few seconds all sounds except the rush of wind left Mark's ears, and then he landed on something soft and fluffy, and his senses came flooding back. Mark grunted as his breath was shoved out of his body again, and he lay there for a few seconds until his lungs worked again. He moaned and slowly sat up.

"Ow," he softly muttered. _I never want to do that again, ever._ His muscles were shaky when he tried to stand, and Mark had to lay back down to let his body recover. _At least I had a soft landing,_ he thought drowsily. He closed his eyes and relaxed for a few seconds, letting the warmth emanating from his cushioning soothe him as the repetitive rush of wind calmed his thoughts-

Mark's eyes flew open when he remembered where he was- on top of a sleeping human's head. _What am I doing? I'll get caught!_ Mark was about to leap to his feet and jump onto the desk when the surface under him suddenly emitted a sleepy groan and started to move. Mark flinched and wiggled under tufts of hair as Jack began to wake up, and once again the borrower cursed at his bad luck.

 

 

 

 

Jack opened his eyes and yawned. _Oops._ He sat up and saw he had fallen asleep at his desk. _I could have sworn I only closed my eyes for a few seconds..._ Jack rubbed his eyes and wiggled the mouse. His screen woke up and displayed his work. Jack groaned and got out of his seat. _First thing's first, coffee._

He pushed his bangs out of his eyes as he walked into the kitchen, feeling and looking like a zombie. He craved caffeine instead of brains though. He reached for the container and filled it with water, and then he inserted it in the coffee maker and got it set up to brew his coffee. Jack leaned on the counter and ran his hand over his head again. _Jesus my hair is so messy._ He smiled to himself and tried to fix a few of the stubborn locks of hair that stood out like prickly cacti.

Mark felt his heart thrash in his breast as cold icy fear overtook him. Every time one of Jack's hands swooped close to his hiding place, he felt like his heart was going to stop. He pressed down a little more as another giant hand brushed over the hair covering Mark, but to his relief none of the fingertips made it to him. If anything they covered more hair over Mark, which was relieving but also worrying.

 _How am I gonna get out of here?_ Mark wondered desperately. _I need to go home. I'm hungry._

Jack messed with his hair until he decided it was as neat as it could ever get, so he settled for drumming his fingers on the countertop and humming again. He wasn't really hungry, so having to sit and wait for his coffee to brew took longer than he wanted.

Mark couldn't help but fidget a little. He hated sitting still, but he hated being so close to the human too. It wasn't that he had anything personal against Jack, but humans were just so powerful and loud, and they didn't really care about things smaller than them. Jack seemed like a nice guy, but he still scared Mark. A small guy like him could be crushed.

Jack was about to mess with his hair again when the coffee machine finally finished and beeped. He sighed in relief and poured it in his mug, and he took a sip before jolting.

"Ow!" He muttered. "It's hot!" Jack laughed at himself and carried his coffee back to his room. _Duh Jack, you idiot._

Mark couldn't help but smile a little as he held back a laugh. Despite his predicament it was somehow funny to him to see the human pull such a stupid and obvious thing. _You big goober,_ he thought, amused. _Even I know coffee is hot._ Mark had never had coffee before, being a borrower, but he had been around humans long enough to know a few things about their everyday things.

Yet Jack was still the strangest. Out of all the humans Mark had seen, which wasn't a big list but still, he had never seen or heard of a human with green hair before. And yet here he was in Jack's grassy and fluffy hair, hiding and waiting for a chance to get out and slip away.

If only the opportunity would present itself sooner...


	9. Misplaced (Jack and Mark) (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else curious just how fluffy Mark and Jack's hair is? No...? Just me? 
> 
> Great XD

By midday Jack was starving, so he wandered into the kitchen wondering what to eat. As he went through the refrigerator and pantry, he decided to settle for eggs benedict. As he gathered the ingredients he reached for the seasonings cupboard, only to find his hand hitting the door shut.

"Huh?" Jack looked and saw that there was a string tethered to the handle. He frowned and peered, leaning closer. _What is that?_ He saw the hook and carefully took it off, and then he examined it. _Weird..._ He opened the cabinet and grabbed the salt, but his hand knocked it over, and the lid popped off.

"Ahh shit!" Jack exclaimed. He cursed and tried to salvage the spilled salt. "What the hell!" What he deemed clean was put in a Ziploc bag, but what fell on the floor he had to sweep up.

"Dang it," Jack muttered. "Why the hell did that happen?" He cleaned up and looked at the hook and string again. He looked at it closely, taking a deep breath, and then his eyes suddenly widened, and he sharply inhaled. _Wait a minute..._ Jack scanned the floor. _Is there a borrower in my house!?_

 

 

 

 

Mark yawned and rubbed his eyes. He knew it wasn't a good idea to sleep when Jack was awake and stomping around, especially when he was on the dude's head, but he didn't have much of a choice. His fear and adrenaline had drained his energy, and his body needed to heal and preserve the few calories he had left. Mark had tied a string or two of hair around his waist so he wouldn't go flying if Jack did anything crazy, but he really wanted to get off of this crazy ride more than ever.

He woke up to Jack cursing, which was normal. At first Mark wanted to go back to sleep. It was actually very comfortable, while Jack's hair was wild and disheveled, it was actually soft and comfy to lay in. Plus he needed to wait until Jack was asleep again to get off, that was his best chance of survival. But as he wriggled his shoulders and closed his eyes again, gravity altered. Mark's eyes flew open as he was tossed and flipped over on his stomach. His lungs burst with effort to not make any noise, and then gravity soon went back to normal.

 _What the hell?_ Mark sat up and parted one of the long fluffy tufts to see that Jack was cleaning something up in the kitchen. _Oh._ He yawned and let his shoulders loll, still sore and exhausted. _I wonder what he spilled this time..._ he lay back down and tried to go back to sleep, but then a thought hit him. His eyes popped open, and his mouth dropped open in a silent gasp.

 _My hook!_ Mark peeked out again and craned his neck to see Jack now holding something and looking at it. _Damn it!_ Mark almost beat his fist in frustration before remembering that he was on a living surface. _Now he knows I'm here, I'll have to move!_

"Holy fuck..." Jack suddenly murmured. Mark couldn't see his expression right now, but when Jack turned and started walking he fell backward into the sea of green hair. Jack sat on the couch and looked at the tackle Mark had left, his mind spinning with astonishment.

"I can't believe it!" Jack murmured out loud. "There's a borrower living here? How did I not notice this sooner!" Those words stopped Mark's heart. _He knows about borrowers!?_ Mark was confused and afraid, most of all shell-shocked. _But my mom told me humans didn't know about us!_ Mark ran through memory lane and immediately wanted to groan. _She said things like borrowers were too good to be seen and that the housefolk we lived with didn't know about us, but that was back when I was a kid. Probably just to comfort me at night... but I don't think she ever clarified that humans actually knew about us._ Mark wanted to slap himself for being such an idiot. Humans knew the signs! He had only been lucky with Jack... until now.

This changed things. Mark decided with a heavy heart that he'd have to move. _But I don't want to..._ Mark thought sadly. Loneliness swept over him like a crushing wave at the thought of moving again. He had grown to call this place home... he liked it here. Even if Jack was a little rowdy and definitely a strange human, at least he was fun to watch. It filled the void in Mark's heart where his social life was absent, even though he knew he could never talk to Jack.

Jack was still reeling from the discovery and digesting this information when his eyes suddenly widened, and he abruptly sat up. _Wait, that wasn't a doll I found! That was the borrower!_ Jack felt stupid. Then fear and guilt washed over him. _Oh no, what if he was hurt? I could have helped him!_ Jack got up and raced into his room. _Please still be there... but please don't be dead._ Jack held his breath as he looked up at the shelf and reached for the empty spot. His hand hit solid wood, and both relief and worry made Jack's heart jump.

He sighed and covered his eyes. "Oh no..." he groaned. "Where did it go!?" Jack turned and started tearing up the room, looking for any clues Mark might have left.

Mark was terrified. He clenched his eyes shut and clasped his hands, feeling Jack move around and jerk his head side to side as the human looked for him. _Don't find me, don't find me..._ but as he waited with dread shivering through his body, Mark discovered another bonus to being stuck in the human's messy hair; it served as an amazing hiding place. Jack would never think to look for a borrower in his hair! _I bet the look on his face would be priceless!_ Mark thought, amused. His heart still pounded in his chest, but he successfully lied still in complete silence, just waiting for an opportunity to get the hell out of here and get somewhere safe.

Jack was devastated when he couldn't find the borrower. He groaned and sat on the floor, pushing his fingers through his bangs and angrily fluffing them. _I should have helped him! At least I know he's alive, but he was hurt... right?_ Jack looked at his hand and slowly clenched it in a fist. He sighed and let his hand drop. _Or he could have been faking it to get away from me._ For some reason this made Jack sad. He was always fascinated about borrowers, and at one point he had even thought of getting one, but his life had just been too crazy and busy to take care of a little buddy. And now there was one in his house, and he was probably terrified of Jack.

Jack hung his head and sighed again. Mark stayed quiet but he silently wondered what was going through the human's head. Did Jack want to catch him? What would he do to him?

He lay his head down and pressed his ear against Jack's scalp as if trying to hear the human's thoughts. Now that Jack knew he was living under his roof, what was he going to do? Would he call someone to come and take him away from his home? Would he call pest control? Would he keep him as his pet? The idea of being treated with no free will and not getting to have an opinion shook Mark down to the very core. _Why is it so hard being a borrower?_

The question was left unanswered as Mark closed his eyes. He couldn't hear what Jack was thinking, but he could sure feel his pulse throbbing rhythmically. The amount of body heat a giant person could have still left Mark breathless. Even after riding on the human for a whole day, Mark was still floored. Again though he accidentally dozed off, leaving Jack to wonder about his mysterious little guest.

Jack got up and went back into the kitchen. _Maybe if I left some food out for him he wouldn't be scared of me?_ He wondered. He doubted that it would work. Borrowers were very shy little creatures, Jack didn't blame them. However he changed his lunch plan from eggs to Parmesan chicken. After he wolfed his fill down, he decided to try something- something he thought might be clever.

 

 

 

 

Mark woke up again and yawned. _Is it nighttime yet?_ He peeked out and his countenance fell. _Damnit._ It was still bright outside. He sat back down and wondered what Jack was doing. For some reason the human wasn't moving, and he couldn't hear anything to suggest what he was doing. He waited, and nothing happened. _Wait..._ Mark listened to Jack's breathing and widened his eyes. _He's asleep!_ _Finally!_ Relief made Mark's heart sing. _Now's my chance!_ He untied the strand around his waist and crawled to the hairline. He put his hands on Jack's forehead and leaned to look at his upside down face. He shivered. _Good. He's definitely asleep, but this is too close for comfort._ Mark backed away and dropped down onto Jack's shoulder. He looked around. The human had fallen asleep in the middle of the day, an unfinished meal of warm chicken sitting on the table just inches away from Jack.

Looking at that chicken and smelling the rich aroma made Mark's mouth water. _I'm sure he wouldn't notice if I took just a little bit?_ He walked down Jack's arm and dropped onto the table. Glancing at Jack's relaxed expression every so often he crept around the human and headed for the food. He was surprised to see his familiar hook and string laying out beside the plate, and he halted. _Wait, is this a...?_ He looked back at Jack, but the giant was still laying there with his chin resting on his arms. He hadn't opened his eyes. Suspicious, Mark circled around and grabbed his hook before ducking out of sight.

 _Is this suppose to be an offering?_ He wondered. The hairs on Mark's arms were standing now. That was a worrying thought. He tried to put it out of his mind as he grabbed a couple of crumbs of breading and put them in his pack. _The sooner I get back home, the better._ He slung his bag over his shoulder and held his hook in his hands. Mark looked around for a route to the ground and headed to one of the empty chairs. _I still can't believe I didn't know humans knew,_ he thought guiltily. _How could I have not known that!? I should have been more careful. Maybe when I look for a new place to stay I should talk to a wild borrower._ He threw his hook and snagged it on the chair. It only took three tries before he could swing on the string and climb to the ground. His hands still felt raw, but they felt better than the day before.

Mark ran across the hard floor with as light footsteps as he could. Even though he knew Jack couldn't hear him, being asleep and all, it made Mark feel a little better. But his anxiety didn't go away until he reached the hidden entrance to his home, and he threw himself at it with a gasp of relief. Shaking, he sank to the floor and let his fear spill over, shivering from his ordeal. _That was so risky! I never want to do that ever again!_ Mark rolled over on his back and sighed loudly, gulping in air until his heart slowed down. But the anxious prickling on his nape still didn't go away, he needed to go home.

 _God that was terrifying._ Mark sat up and slowly got up. As his anxiety ebbed he smiled nervously and entered his secret tunnel. _At least Jack didn't see me. That's a plus.  
_

But what Mark didn't know, with his back turned as he disappeared from the kitchen, Jack was watching the borrower leave with one eye wide open with awe, not saying a word or moving a muscle as Mark vanished into the walls.


	10. Hug a Tiny Day (Jack and Mark)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HA! Uploaded on time here :D

Jack was looking forward to doing something for Mark. Just yesterday when he had woken up he saw the date on his phone and almost dropped it in realization. Today was Hug a Tiny Day, a holiday that was never really celebrated very well except with barbeque and hanging out with friends and family. For the little kitties it meant no school.

But now Jack had a plan for this morning. Today was special, because of his small friend Mark. He remembered fondly waking up to an excited Mark, and then the engineer had hugged him for Hug a Giant Day. Now Jack was ready to return the favor.

He smiled fiendishly as he walked into the kitchen, humming. Mark was already treated to a breakfast, gnawing on a frosted flake. The box of cereal was left out on the table by Jack, who had said he needed to go talk to Felix about something. Naturally he didn't tell Mark of his evil plan; he wanted to surprise Mark.

Mark looked up as he approached, and Jack saw his eyebrow quirk. "What are you up to?" He asked. Jack couldn't wipe the smug grin off his face.

"What?" His voice quavered as he held back a giggle. "What do you mean? I'm just humming." Mark frowned and waved his finger like a sassy woman.

"You've got that look in your eyes!" He exclaimed, smiling nervously. "And you're smirking like a Cheshire cat!" Jack giggled.

"Is it that obvious?" Mark pursed his lower lip and crossed his arms.

"What are you up to?" He asked again in a singsong voice. Jack's smile grew wider.

"Nothiiiiing!" He sang. Mark gave him a doubtful look and turned to his breakfast again.

"I don't believe you," he said loudly as Jack inched closer. "You're up to something, and I swear to god if it has something to do with scaring the life out of me- AGAIN- I will-" Without warning Jack swept Mark up in his arms and hugged him to his chest. Mark let out an unmanly scream in surprise, and Jack laughed and snuggled him.

"Happy Hug a Tiny Day!" He shouted. The reaction on Mark's face was priceless.

"Wh-what!?" Jack laughed and sat on the floor with his legs crossed.

"You heard me!" Jack continued laughing as he let Mark stand in his hands. "Your face though! You never saw me coming!" Mark looked astounded as Jack's rumbles of laughter shook him. Then he smiled and started laughing too.

"You asshole," he giggled. Jack chuckled and mussed Mark's hair.

"You're welcome!" He sang. Mark grabbed onto Jack's finger and nipped him. "Ow!" Jack pulled his hand away and looked at Mark. "Ye bit me!" His tone of voice was shock, but nothing could wipe that stupid grin off his face. Mark laughed.

"I told you man. Pick me up without my consent and I'll bite you." Jack giggled and held Mark up to his face.

"What about this?" He squished Mark against his cheek and nuzzled him in the close hug.

"Hey!" Mark protested and squirmed, but he couldn't resist the giant's devotion and sighed. "Jaaaaaaaack..." he complained, going limp. Jack smirked and pulled Mark away to look him straight in the eye. He was smirking widely.

"Admit it, you liked it," he teased. Mark rolled his eyes and punched Jack's fist.

"Jerk!" He shouted without ire in his tone. Jack's eyebrows knit together as he smiled fiendishly.

"Bitch."

 


	11. Stone Rules (Tyler and Ethan+Mark) Part One(?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of people requested this on Wattpad, so enjoy!

"Mark!" Ethan wailed. Mark turned to see Ethan had slipped and hit his head. He ran back to his blue haired friend and pulled him out of the tree roots.

"Are you ok?" He asked. Around them trees towered, and above them were dark clouds unleashing heavy rain. Already the ground was becoming a soupy mixture of mud and leaves and water as puddles pooled where they could.

"I-I'm ok." Ethan winced. "I-I think I need to rest though. My head's spinning."

"But come on Ethan, we're almost at Los Angeles!" He encouraged. "You'll make it, and when we do we'll rest up in a nice warm house!" Ethan groaned, his hand was covering his bruised temple. There were small trickles of blood oozing from his scraped skin.

"But it's raining!" He complained. "We'll drown dude, drown!"

"We'll find shelter, I promise. We just need to get out of these woods, ok?" Mark assured. Ethan sniffed and nodded his head. "Come on, just a little bit further. We'll find a place to stay the night, and then come morning we'll head into the city-" Mark stopped and pointed. "Wait, Ethan look!" Through the trees the borrowers could see skyscrapers.

"We're almost there!" Ethan exclaimed. He groaned and held his head in his hand. "Ow..."

"You want me to carry you?" Mark offered. "We need to get there by nightfall."

"No, I-" Ethan stopped and sighed. "Oh what's the use... just be careful Mark."

"Always am!" Mark swept Ethan up and started walking again. "You really need some food in you," he remarked. Ethan glared and hung his head back with his tongue sticking out in rebellion.

"Just shut up and keep walking."

 

 

 

 

They traveled to the edge of the city just before nightfall. Mark was tired as well as Ethan, so they took a small break and hid under a park tree.

"I've had enough of traveling," Mark muttered as he took a look at Ethan's scrape. "I've seen enough houses to last me a lifetime! There was way too many!"

"And roads," Ethan agreed. He then shuddered and added, "Fucking cars too! We almost got run over by that one truck, remember?" Mark flinched, but he replied with humor.

"It was a good thing you heard it coming, otherwise I would have gotten run over, and then who would take care of you!" They waited for the cover of night before deciding to go out and find a place to call home. The stars were invisible since thousands of lights overcame the sky. The roads were a lot less crowded than during the daytime, but there were still people around.

Since Ethan was injured, Mark talked him into a lovely house that stood at the edge of the city; not too far, not too close. It was just right. It wasn't an apartment, so they would only have one household to deal with.

"Ethan look!" Mark whispered. They watched from the lawn's tall grass as the door opened, and a young man walked out. He had curly brown hair and a grey beanie, along with a light grey shirt and dark jeans. Mark moved a few blades of grass so that his red and black flannel would be covered, which in turn hid his blue haired friend. He pulled Ethan behind him as the guy walked past, and he looked at the door as Ethan tugged on his blue hoodie nervously.

"Come on." Mark got up and started running with Ethan as the man went to check the mail. Ethan whimpered, "What if he catches us?" as they ducked into the house and out of the light drizzle.

"We'll be fine," Mark whispered. He looked around the room and hid behind the door with Ethan crouched close behind him. The house was so big and clean, the walls were white and the hardwood floor was brown and glossy. The furniture was a mixture of brown and tan, and as he glanced in the living room Mark felt a stir of hope in his chest.  _This place could make the perfect home for us,_  he thought to himself. _But it looks brand new, so there won't be very many nooks and crannies for us to hide in._

He jumped when the owner of the house walked back in and slammed the door behind him. Ethan recoiled and gripped Mark's shoulder, cowering behind him. Mark watched with a steady gaze as the man continued walking, and only when his footsteps faded did the borrower finally relax.

"Ok." He turned and whispered to Ethan, "Let's find a safe place to get some rest. When he's asleep we'll go check the house out and see where we can make a good home." Ethan nodded. His head was no longer bleeding, and he felt more confident with Mark's collected attitude.

"Couch?" He murmured.

"Sounds good." They quietly jogged across the floor and hid under the large L shaped couch. As Ethan sat down and caught his breath, Mark checked out the area around them in case there were any small creatures or insects around.

"This house is spotless," Mark remarked. "There's hardly any dust, and the walls don't look like they have any cracks.

"Well we haven't looked at the kitchen yet," Ethan reminded.

"Hmm." Mark unbuttoned his flannel and took it off. Ethan blinked.

"What are you doing?" He asked. Under the borrower's flannel was a black shirt that matched Mark's hair and jeans, allowing the borrower to hide better in the cover of the night.

"I'm gonna go scout the place." Ethan's eyes widened.

"What about the human!?" He cried. "What if he finds you, or me? I don't wanna die!"

"It's ok Ethan." Mark softly hushed his neurotic friend. "Just stay under the couch and relax, all right? You're capable of handling yourself, if something happens then you run and squeeze in a place where the human can't reach you, outside if you have to, and I'll be right there. I won't be gone long, so just relax... ok?" Ethan sniffed and nodded.

"Ok, just-just be careful." Mark smiled and nodded as well, and then he turned and left the sheltered shadow of the couch. Ethan shivered fearfully and hugged his knees to his chest as he watched Mark sneak into the kitchen. Suddenly the world felt so much bigger and scarier without his buddy.

The smol blue bean whimpered under his breath. He was thinking about his life before he had met Mark; he was always hungry and cold, borrowing from an old house in Cincinnati. He remembered before that, when he lived in Maine with his family. He flinched at the memory and pressed his forehead against his knees, burying the past.

 _I'm so glad Mark's here._  Ethan closed his eyes. _I don't know where I'd be without him._

 

 

 

 

Ethan woke with a start when Mark nudged him awake.

"Come on," Mark whispered. "The guy's asleep." Ethan sat up and, to his alarm, there were giant shoes on the floor. The tv was on, but it was at a low volume. The human had fallen asleep on the couch.

"How long was I asleep?" Alarm clenched Ethan's gut. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?" He demanded, getting up.

"I didn't want to wake you," Mark told him. He shrugged and glanced at the tv again. "You were sound asleep, so I waited until I knew for sure that he was asleep." Ethan sighed and followed Mark out from under the couch. He had to take several steps back to look up and have the human fully in sight. The man was definitely asleep. He was slouched on his side, and his legs draped off the couch. His head rested on the arm rest, and his hands were in his lap.

"He looks really tired," Ethan whispered to Mark. He turned to look at his friend, but Mark was already walking and looking around.

"We need to find a good view," He murmured. "But the coffee table isn't tall enough."

"What about the tv?" Mark snorted.

"If you want to fall off of a flat screen tv, be my guest, that thing is way too narrow, way too loud, and way too high up." Ethan nodded, understanding.

"What about the couch?" He suggested a few seconds later. Mark turned sharply and looked at Ethan with wide eyes.

"And how do you suggest getting up there, huh?" Mark waved at the human. "You're not Tarzan! And there's no fucking way either of us are climbing up him."

"It's just for a little bit." Ethan swallowed. "I-I could do it." Mark's eyes widened.

"Ethan no!" He gasped. "What if you fall? What if you lose your balance and get smothered, and suffocate? What if he finds you, and you get taken away!?" Ethan's shoulders sagged.

"Mark," He whined, "I just wanna help!"

"I know, I know. It's just that-" Mark put his hand on his forehead. "If something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself."

"I don't want you to always have to take care of me," Ethan said quietly. "I don't want you to always have to provide for me, please." He looked at his raven haired friend with wide eyes. "It's the least I can do."

Mark said nothing for a few seconds, and then he sighed and hung his head in acquiescence.

"Just be  _careful_."

"I will!" Ethan exclaimed. He immediately slapped his hand over his mouth. "Oops," he whispered. "Sorry." Mark chuckled.

"Just keep quiet, and don't move too fast," he advised. Ethan nodded, and his friend gave him a gentle shove. "Go on then! Let me know what you see up there when you're gone. I'm gonna take a look at the rest of the house."

"Ok." The two borrowers walked away from each other and headed off. Mark disappeared into the hallway, and Ethan stopped at the human's feet and looked up. He swallowed and cleared his throat, and he whispered, "Oh boy" as he climbed onto the man's shoe and began to climb.

By the time Ethan climbed onto the human's knee, he was already panting.  _Jeez, how much more climbing have I gotta do?_ Ethan glanced down at the floor before he turned and looked up at the human. He was still slumped on his side and softly snoring. Ethan shivered.

 _He's so big._  Ethan looked around the house again in hopes of seeing Mark.  _No, you can do this!_ He told himself. _Just keep climbing, you'll be ok._  He traversed the cushions and climbed up on the arm rest. His body was tense as Ethan walked around the man's head, and he held his breath until he was climbing up the back of the couch.

Ethan's eyes were wide as he looked around the room.  _Wow, I'm so high up!_ He felt like a bird, and he wasn't even as high up as a human. As he looked around, the human snored on below him, and he looked down at the giant man.  _This is cool!_ Ethan smiled. He turned to try and walk along the back of the couch, but his foot caught on a wrinkle in the fabric, and he stumbled.  _Oh shit!_ Was Ethan's last thought before he fell and plummeted with a scream.

 

 

 

 

Tyler was tired after his long day. First his coffee maker broke, then some other appliances had issues, and then his computer kept crashing! He yawned and finally gave up on the wretched thing and left his recording room.  _I'll have to work on it tomorrow,_ he thought grumpily. Rain pattered lightly on the roof as he walked across the living room and decided to check the mail before he went to bed.

He put his shoes on and went outside. He walked quickly across the yard and opened the mailbox. As he shuffled through it, Tyler scowled. _Goddamnit, I have to pay the bills!_ He sighed and headed back indoors.  _So many of them, but then again this is a brand new house._ He put  them on the counter and left to go wash up.  _I don't want to deal with them right now though._  I just want to sleep. Tyler sighed and made a beeline for the couch. He sank gratefully onto the familiar cushions and turned on the tv. Within an hour he conked out.

Tyler only got to sleep for about half an hour when a small scream dragged him into consciousness. As he opened his eyes he felt something fall in his hair, and he twitched with a sleepy grunt. "The fuck?" He reached back and felt something squirm under his hand. Alarmed he sat up and ducked his head, making the thing fall in his hand with another squeak of fear.

His eyes widened when he saw what it was. It was a tiny person, a young boy who looked hardly older than eighteen. He had blue hair and a blue hoodie, and when their eyes met the small blue boy froze and started shivering with dread.

"Don't hurt me!"Ethan blurted, covering his eyes and cowering. "P-please!" Tyler stared at the talking thing with wide eyes. Then his mind finally started whirling, and he stood up quickly.

"What the hell!?" He exclaimed, picking Ethan up by the back of his hoodie. Ethan screamed and squirmed helplessly against the large fingers as Tyler flipped him over and studied him. "I should really get more sleep," Tyler muttered to himself. What the hell was this thing? A fairy?

"Ow!" Ethan jumped and slapped Tyler's probing finger. "That hurt!" He snapped. Tyler widened his eyes again and pulled his hand away.

"What the fuck are you?" He asked. But Ethan didn't answer, desperate to not look weak.

"P-put me down!" He demanded. Tyler's brow quirked.

"You're not really in the position to be telling me what to do," he remarked as he held Ethan closer to his face. Ethan blanched and shook with another violent tremble of fear, and he couldn't help but whimper. Tyler frowned when he seemed to finally realize how scared the little borrower was, and he looked around his house.

"Hmm..." He headed into the kitchen with Ethan in a loose fist. He could feel the borrower wiggling and kicking in his hand, but he needed to get something out of the cabinet. He reached in and pulled out a jar, and Ethan suddenly froze.

"A-ahh! W-wait! Wait!" He wailed. Tyler stopped and looked down at him.

"Huh?"

"P-p-please! I'll-I'll do anything!" Ethan stammered, in tears. "J-just not- a-anything but a jar!" Tyler frowned.

"Uh..." He slowly put the jar on the counter. "Ok...?" Ethan sniffled and covered his eyes, trembling in Tyler's hand. Tyler felt a little awkward now. "Look, I-I won't put you in a jar, but I don't want you to run away, ok?" Ethan looked up at Tyler with wide eyes and nodded, still shivering. Tyler walked back into the living room and sat on the couch, and he gently put the little borrower down on the coffee table. Ethan flinched as cold air washed over him, and he shuddered as he turned to look up and meet Tyler's curious stare.

Tyler narrowed his eyes. "So who the hell are you?" He asked. Ethan flinched.

" _Who_?" He echoed in a small voice.

"Uh, yeah." Tyler sat back and watched Ethan curiously. "You can talk and shit, so who are you?"

I... um..." Ethan's voice rose an octave. He looked away from Tyler, and Tyler saw the borrower nervously scanning the floor. "M-my name's Ethan," he finally said. Tyler let his hands rest in his lap.

"I'm Tyler." Ethan nodded, acknowledging, but he still looked around. Tyler frowned.

"You ok?" He asked. Then he mentally slapped himself. "I mean, you just look really... unsettled." Ethan glared up at Tyler.

"Why wouldn't I be!" He exclaimed.  _He has a good point._  Tyler looked at the jar still sitting on the counter.

"How come you're scared of that?" He murmured. Ethan shivered and shook his head.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He repeated, but for some reason his eyes held more fear in them as he gave the jar a fearful glance. Tyler scratched his head.

"Good point." Uncomfortable silence settled between them, during which Tyler looked the borrower up and down. Ethan looked human, just smaller and... More blue.

"Where you from?" He finally asked. Ethan's eyes widened, and he looked away. 

"N-nowhere really," he said in a small voice. "I moved from Cincinnati." Tyler widened his eyes.

"That's a far ways away," he said. "Especially for someone your size." Ethan shot him a glare. Tyler realized what he said wrong and bit his tongue. "I-I mean, it's just, that's an awful lot of traveling." He avoided mentioning the borrower's size again. "Why did you move?" Ethan relaxed a little and shrugged.

"Just felt like it," he mumbled. He around, distracted and avoiding looking at Tyler again. Tyler scratched his head.

"How long have you been here?" He asked carefully. "In this house, I mean."

"Not very long," Ethan admitted quietly. Tyler thought about this for a few seconds and smiled.

"I guess that makes us both new roommates."

"H-huh?" Ethan looked at Tyler in disbelief. "What's that suppose to mean?" He stammered.

"Well you're living here too, aren't you? I just moved in, so that makes us roommates." Tyler shrugged and sat back. "You sound surprised," he laughed. Ethan turned red, looking down again.

"I-I thought you were gonna... Y-you know..." He stopped and tugged on his sleeves. Tyler frowned.

"What?"

"C-capture me... Kill me, or-or treat me like a pet..."

"... Oh." Tyler blinked and mussed his curly hair distractedly. "Why would I do that? Was it how I reacted? I just, I didn't exactly expect seeing you, not to mention you woke me up in the middle of a nap."

"Oh yeah." Ethan let out a small laugh. "S-sorry about that."

"It's ok." Tyler leaned closer, but he remembered to still keep his distance. "Just be careful next time, all right? I don't know what exactly you were doing, but at least you had a soft landing." Ethan nodded, saying away.

"S-so you'd let me stay?" He stammered. Tyler's brow furrowed.

"I can't force you to choose where to live or go." He then added, "I don't suppose you'll help me pay bills though, huh?" To his relief, Ethan giggled.

"No, sorry, I can't get a job." Ethan was standing straighter now and meeting Tyler's gaze. "But if I do stick around, can you promise me something?" He dared to ask. Tyler shrugged.

"Sure." Ethan took a deep breath.

"If-if you see me or anybody else like me in the world, whether it's in this house or any other place, please don't do anything to them," he said. "Don't go stomping around picking them up or approaching them, just ignore them and let them go on about their life. We don't do anybody harm, I promise, we're just... We're not very open, about certain things, I guess. Just, please don't hurt any of us?" Tyler shifted in his seat. He didn't hesitate to answer.

"I promise." At that, Ethan relaxed and sighed.

"Th-thanks." He turned and walked to the edge of the table. Tyler watched the small borrower climb over the side and make his way down to the ground.

"So see you around?" He asked hopefully. Ethan glanced at Tyler with a nervous smile.

"Maybe." Then he turned and walked away from the human. Tyler watched him go until he left the living room and was out of sight. He sighed and slumped on the couch, rubbing his head.

"... I definitely need more sleep and less stress."


	12. Dark Nights (Mark and Jack) Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack's Ma entrusts him with the farm for one day; and everything goes to hell pretty quickly when a storm sends the Irishman fleeing into the forest for his very life, where he encounters a seemingly benevolent entity.

Jack thought everything was going to be ok. When he watched his Ma leave down the long winding dirt road with their eggs and milk to sell in town, he thought everything was going to be peace and quiet. He had turned around and taken care of the animals, done the chores, stayed up playing video games and then went to bed when it started to rain.

But he was so wrong.

Jack recoiled as the night lit up with a bang. Lightning forked from the sky and crackled upon impact. Jack grabbed his chest with a gasp, breathing heavily from the nightmare. He sighed when he regained his bearings, and he slumped.

"Oh, god..." he sighed. His head hit the pillow again.  _That was awful! Fucking nightmare again..._ He closed his eyes and tried to relax, listening to the whooshing of the wind, the pounding of the rain, the crackling of the warm fire-

Jack's eyes shot open. _I didn't leave the fire pit on!_  He jumped out of the bed, and in a sleepy stumble he raced down the stairs and burst out the front door.  _The barn!_ Jack held his hat down and ducked as he pushed through the howling wind. The storm had lit the barn roof on fire. The chickens were screeching and flapping, and the horses and cow brayed and stomped their feet. Jack with all his might pushed the double doors open, and he ran to the corral.

"Go, go, go!" He shouted. He pulled the gate open, and all the animals burst out. Jack stumbled as they pushed past him, and he fell. He tried to crawl out of the stampede when a hoof struck the back of his head, and Jack collapsed. He was stunned into a few seconds of immobility, but then he forced himself to get up. He reached back and felt warm sticky blood as he stumbled out of the barn. A chicken ran across his path as the Irishman ran for shelter in the only place he could; the forest.

His head was throbbing. His vision throbbed with each heartbeat, and his breath echoed in his ears. Jack groaned and squinted, trying to see where he was going. But it was dark. Thunder howled again as Jack tripped and fell face first into the grass. He was now covered in mud, but he couldn't stop.

 _I need shelter!_ Jack spotted something in the echo of lightning.  _There!_  He saw the hollow blackness of a cave entrance. He turned toward it and ran in, falling to his hands and knees shaking. He coughed and spat some mud, and then he tried to get up. His body ached in protest as he stood and stumbled deeper into the cave, shying away from the vicious storm.

 _Ma's gonna be so upset!_  Jack wanted to cry.  In a single moment, his world had fallen apart. All of the farmland, the house, the animals... gone. His Ma might even come back and think he was dead. _I just need to rest._ Jack's teeth were starting to chatter. He was cold. He shivered and looked around, but it was pitch black.  _No, wait..._  There was light up ahead.  _Is that the sun?_  Jack hoped. He hoped he was in a bad dream, fixing to wake up. His Ma would come in and shake him awake, chide about being lazy and tell him that breakfast was ready.

"Ma?" The Irish boy quickened his pace. "Ma!" He cried out. When he burst out of the darkness, air enveloped him. A scream ripped from his throat as he fell and rolled. He bounced a couple of ways before crashing in a pile of something gold and shiny. He shuffled around before his head popped out. He groaned.

"O-ow." He wiggled his way to the surface and climbed out. Things clinked and trickled under his feet, and Jack took a sharp breath. _Gold!?_ Jack looked up and gasped. There was gold everywhere, gems and coins like a scene in The Hobbit. Jack was dumbstruck.

 _Who does this all belong to!?_ He then wondered, _How long has this been here?_ His fingers itched to touch the marvelous treasure, but he held back. Something didn't feel right about taking any of it.

"Hello?" Jack yelled. The cavern echoed, but he heard no answer. Golden light shimmered on the cave walls, and there was a river that cut through the piles of treasure. Jack climbed down and tried to follow it. It led deeper into the cave, and then it filled out into a large lake.

Jack looked around. There was still no one. Did this treasure belong to anyone? He looked at a large emerald shining at his feet. He reached down and picked it up, seeing its beauty in its crystal light. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take one thing...

"No," Jack said out loud. He put the emerald back in its exact place.  _I don't need any of this. It wouldn't feel right._ "I just want shelter," he whispered. He had never felt so cold in all of his life. He climbed up a gold hill and peered in the lake. Its surface sparkled with sunken treasures, and the water was clear enough so Jack could see them. "Pretty," he murmured, crossing his arms to try and retain his body heat. But he was still curious.  _What is this place?_

The grating of hundreds of coins spilling scratched Jack's eardrums. He whirled around, but the coins under his feet buckled. He slipped and fell with a scream, and he plummeted in the cold icy water with a loud splash. His vision was plunged into darkness. Bubbles rose up around him as the Irishman gurgled a muffled scream and tried to claw his way back to the surface. But he sank like a rock.

 _I'm going to die._ The horrible realization washed over him.  _Of all the ways to die, I'm going to drown!_ His muscles were failing him. Jack felt his back hit the riverbed, and he slowly stopped moving. His lungs were burning, but he couldn't breathe. And he couldn't move. Jack's eyes started to close. Shadows danced around his vision, the world darkening as he struggled to cling on. But he couldn't do anything.

The water suddenly churned, and something big plunged in. Jack watched as he felt something nudge him and wrap around his body. He couldn't tell what it is, but his oxygen-deprived brain could have sworn it looked like a giant hand.

 _I'm seeing things._ His eyes rolled back and he blacked out.

 

 

 

What felt like forever was only seconds. Jack coughed violently as he woke up, gasping for air. He spat up water and rolled over, jerking with coughs. He didn't stop until his lungs felt clear, and then he collapsed, breathing heavily. He was shivering, and his body felt weak and numb. Something gently nudged the Irishman's back, curling him up. Jack complied, too weak and cold to argue. Warmth washed over him, and he gasped breathlessly. It was startling, like a wake-up call. Jack found himself pressing against whatever it was that was pulsing with warmth, quivering as life slowly flowed back into his body.

The thing from before suddenly rubbed him, reviving a rush of feeling down his spine. Jack opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, but as he blinked and focused...

No. Jack's breath left him again. Tan skin and black cloth surrounded him. He looked down. Far below him were the piles of gold, and two large denim pant legs flowing down to meet feet. They were ripped and a little torn up, but Jack wasn't worried about that. He was worried about what they connected to, about what he'd see if he looked up...

He took his time and looked around his eye level. A tight black shirt covered a flat abdomen and broad chest. Powerful muscular arms loomed around him, but large hands gently cradled his body like a fragile butterfly. Jack shivered, his breath quickened. He realized, with horror, what he was seeing...

And he slowly looked up.

The first thing that stood out to Jack was  _his_ eyes. Large almond brown eyes wide with worry gazed down at him, scanning his small battered body for signs of injury. Around the eyes was smooth tan skin, and around the jaw lined a light beard. Black floofy hair that looked soft and wild sat on his head, raven colored bangs draped on the side and were almost covering his left eye.

What was holding Jack was a giant man.

Jack screamed and recoiled. The giant flinched and knit his brow with... was that guilt? Sympathy? The Irishman tried to back away, but his back hit curled fingers. He was trapped, suspended high up in the air. Jack whimpered and curled up in a little ball. He didn't want to die!

He felt the thing stroke his turned back again, and Jack's stomach dropped. The giant was petting him with a  _finger_. Jack shuddered and tried to lean away. He felt the giant stop and pull his hand away. Then with his finger he gently touched Jack's head. Fiery pain shot through him, and he gasped.

"Ow!" He ducked his head and cradled it, groaning again. "Oww," he whimpered. He heard the giant whine sympathetically. The giant crouched down and rest his hand on the floor of gold. Jack looked up, confused. The giant was watching him, but not with malice. He held in his eyes an emotion that was familiar to Jack; it was a humane emotion.

Jack slowly inched his way to the edge of the huge hand. He stopped every few scoots and glanced up at the gargantuan man. He was simply watching Jack, calm and patient. Jack dangled his feet over the edge and glanced at the giant one last time before he suddenly pushed off and made a break for it. He was fully aware of how slow and unsteady his escape attempt was, but he made it to a pergola unchallenged. He hid behind one column and almost collapsed. He was shaking badly. The Irishman was weak, tired, cold, and even hungry.

As he peeked around, his stomach growled, and Jack winced. The giant was still crouching down, watching him, and when Jack's body complained, his brow furrowed worriedly. Jack flinched away as the giant suddenly stood to his full height.  _Oh fuck, he's huge!_ Jack's breath came in short pants as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut. He felt the thuds in the ground as the giant started walking, and all he could imagine was a hand descending upon him...

To his confusion, the thuds weakened. Jack slowly opened his eyes, and he saw the retreating figure of the giant before he disappeared. Jack stared.  _He's... leaving me?_ The giant had gone outside. He had left the cave. Jack let his back slide down the column and slumped. He could barely keep his eyes open now.

He sighed. _I can't believe giants are real! Maybe it's a figment of my imagination, like some Outlast Two bullshit or something._ Jack hung his head and groaned. His world was spinning.

He felt the giant's footsteps before he saw the giant himself. Looking up, Jack saw the giant enter the cave with something in his hand. His brown eyes met Jack's baby blues, and the Irishman was shocked when the giant smiled a little. Jack struggled to sit up.  _What's he up to? Is he gonna eat me?_ His imagination was growing wild under the influence of exhaustion, and he couldn't help but entertain the thought of being thrown into a large boiling pot of water.

The giant stopped. Two strides away and he could be on Jack in an instant. But he stopped, and he slowly dropped into a crouch and held his hand out. Jack blinked a few times. In the giant's hand was an uprooted bush. It was ripe with berries, and only a few had been crushed in the windy voyage. Jack looked up at the giant; his eyes were wide with disbelief.  _Did he just go out in the fucking storm just to bring me food?_

His throat muscles worked as he tried to comprehend. But he was being presented with a decision; trust the giant and eat, or don't trust and starve.  _Not to mention freeze to death,_  Jack thought with a weak shudder.  _He hasn't hurt me. But he could._ Jack looked at the lake.  _Wait_. Jack's eyes widened.  _So I wasn't hallucinating! He did save me._ Jack looked up to see that the giant was still watching him. There was a hopeful sparkle in his chocolate brown eyes when Jack met his gaze. Jack sighed and slowly pulled his aching body up, leaning on the column for support. On shaky legs he stumbled closer to the giant's hand, on the verge of collapse.

The last few feet away was when his legs gave out. Jack gasped as the floor rushed to meet him, but an inch away from crushing his nose his shirt stopped him from getting hurt. It felt like it was snagged on something, but when Jack looked up, he was dizzy with relief to see that the giant had quickly reached down and pinched the back of his shirt, holding Jack about a foot off the ground.

Jack sighed and went limp.  _You win,_  he thought tiredly.  _Just pick me up. I can't fucking do it on my own._ The giant hesitated, but then he slowly and carefully lifted the Irishman up. Jack closed his eyes and frowned as the ground seemed to shrink. Vertigo kicked him in the balls and made his heart thrash in his breast, but Jack refused to move a muscle. Doing so could kill him.

He was finally set down on a warm leathery ground, but he kept his eyes shut until the giant gently poked his flank with a questioning rumble. Jack opened his eyes to see that he was safely back in the giant's hand. He wasn't too high up, and the berries were right in front of him. Jack squinted until his vision stopped being blurry, and then he sat up a little and reached for the bush. They were just out of reach, but then the giant nudged the bush closer. Jack flashed him a grateful look and pulled the first berry off. He savored it for a few seconds, and then his eyes widened.

 _It's really good!_  He started eating, forgetting that the giant was watching him as he shoved handfuls of berries in his pie-hole.  _Hmm, pie sounds good. These would make a good pie._ Jack ate as quickly as he could, until he had eaten all of them. They filled him up well. He yawned and licked his fingers, and then wiped his mouth on his sleeve. He scrunched his face up when the giant put his finger on Jack's head again, but then Jack slowly relaxed. He got a gentle rub that mussed his hair before the giant took his hand away and removed the bush for Jack.

Jack yawned again, and this time the giant rubbed his back. While the Irishman had to place his arms stiffly in front of him to keep from falling over, it felt good, especially since he was aching. He lay down and started to close his eyes, already dozing off. "Thank you," he murmured drowsily. But then as he fell asleep, the giant stopped stroking him and tilted his head, watching the small man rest.

"... you're welcome," a deep voice said quietly.

 


	13. A Freaky Friday (Jack and Mark)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack surprises his little human friend with quite a technologically advanced gift.

 

"Hey, Mark!" Jack shouted. He looked around for the engineer. "Mark! Where are ya little buddy?" He carried a box under his arms as he walked into the kitchen. "Hey Felix, have you seen Mark?" He asked. Felix hummed and snapped his fingers.

"He's in my room." He pointed and added, "He wanted to borrow my laptop for a little bit, I don't know why." Jack nodded and walked to his room. He peered inside. The laptop was upside down on Felix's bed, and Mark was tinkering with something in it.

"Mark?" Mark pushed out from under the laptop and looked up.

"Oh, morning Jack." Jack frowned. The tiny man looked tired.

"Sleep well?" He asked, doubtful. "You weren't in your bed when I woke up." Mark tried to hide a yawn and nodded.

"Oh, yeah, really well. I just woke up a little early." Jack put the package down and climbed on the bed.

"What ya working on?" He lay down on his stomach and looked at Mark's work. But all he saw were jumbled wires.

"Oh. That." Mark scratched his head. "It's just a side project I'm working on." Jack rolled over on his back and stretched lazily. Mark jumped in his hand, making Jack keep his arms out. "What's for breakfast?" He asked.

"Hmm." Jack clicked his tongue. "Well, let's see... I could order pizza. I could whip up some bacon." He shook Mark added playfully, "Or I  _could_ settle with a human!"

"You wish!" Mark huffed and punched Jack's hand. "I'm too tough for a weakling like you." Jack chuckled.

"Then how about we just settle with bacon?"

"Sounds good," Mark agreed. As Jack got up, the engineer noticed the package and frowned. "What's in the box?"

"Oh, that." Jack smirked. "You'll find out after breakfast." Mark groaned.

"Jaaaack!"

"Nope!" The giant carried Mark off. "After we eat!"

Mark was very curious. After a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs benedict, Mark bombarded Felix. "Do you know what Jack's up to?" He asked. Jack was washing the dishes.

"You mean the package he finally got?" Felix grinned. "You don't know?"

"No, I don't." Mark waved his hands. "He won't tell me!" He laughed.

"And I'm fixing to!" Jack called. Felix chuckled.

"Good luck, Mark." He got up and left the astronaut with Jack. Mark sighed and looked up as Jack walked over.

"Now can you tell me?" He pleaded.

"Alright, fine," Jack sighed. He smiled and let Mark climb on his hand, and then put him on his shoulder. "How advanced is your technology on your planet?" He asked, walking to the mysterious package.

"It's pretty advanced," Mark admitted, "But not as good as your VR headset, for example." Jack smirked and crouched to open the box.

"Well, speaking of VR headsets." Mark's eyes widened as Jack held up a tiny version of the VR earplugs.

"Jack!" He gasped. "Is that?"

"Yep!" Jack pulled out more stuff. "You're gonna love this. Here, put this on." Mark took the ear pieces and put them in. Jack plugged some things in and adjusted things Mark tried to understand, and then Jack gestured for Mark to climb off. "Be right back!" He ran off and left Mark with the alien technology. Mark marveled at how complex it all looked. What is Jack up to?

Jack came back with his VR earpieces plugged in. Mark's confusion heightened, and he watched as Jack plugged another thing in. "There!" He smiled at Mark. "Ok, there should be a switch on the right side. Flick it." Mark reached in his ear and turned the switch on. Bright lights and a humming engulfed his senses. He squinted, but his vision was robbed.

"Jack?" He couldn't hear anything, only the hum of technology. "Jack!" He shouted. Suddenly, everything became clear again. He could see the living room again. Mark groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Jack, what the hell was that?" He looked around for his gargantuan friend, but instead he froze. Wait, is this the living room? Why is it so... normal?

"Jack?" Mark realized even his own voice sounded off. Unlike the deep vibration of his usual voice, it was now higher and sounded weird. What's going on!? Mark was panicking. He got up and looked around.

"Mark?" Mark stopped moving and looked around again.

"Jack! What the hell happened?" He gasped. "Where am I? Where are you!?"

"Holy fuck!" Jack sounded off too! It wasn't dripping with a high pitched accent, and instead it was deep and soft. "This is so weird!" Jack laughed. Mark frowned and blinked rapidly.

"Jack, you're worrying me, where-"

"Look down ya big goober!" Mark looked down and almost fainted. He saw himself looking up at him. Mark touched his own head. It wasn't soft and silky, like he was always proud off. It was wild and a little more rugged, and the back of his neck felt cold.

"What-" Mark ran to the bathroom. He gripped the counter and looked in the mirror. Staring back at him was Jack's own reflection. "Jack!?" He blinked and touched his face. Jack's reflection did the same. He touched his forehead and felt eyebrows thicker than his own, and when he mussed his hair the same happened with the reflection. He mirrored a few more moves, and then slowly walked out, stunned.

"Jesus!" Jack was looking around the living room. "So this is what you see? It's so big!" He laughed. Mark frowned.

"This is so weird..." he murmured. Jack looked up at him and blinked.

"Oh god, yer right." He giggled and waved. "Hi! I'm humongous!"

"And I'm so tiny." Mark couldn't help but stare. It was his body, but he wasn't in control of it. And it was so tiny!

"So? You wanna pick me up?" Jack asked, giddy. Mark felt his chest give a squeeze as panic flooded him. What if I hurt him? What if I break something? Is this how Jack feels?

"I-I..." Mark sucked in a deep breath of air and slowly crouched down. "What if I hurt you?" He stammered. Jack smiled.

"It's ok! You won't. This is just a simulator anyway." Mark frowned.

"Huh?"

"A simulator! What happened was that our earplugs mapped each others' brains, and then connected our senses together, so it looks like you're me and I'm you! You're brain is kinda controlling me, and I'm controlling you... to put it simply." Mark scratched his head.

"That sounds impossible."

"It does," Jack agreed. "But I'm not a nerd like you." Mark laughed.

"Hey, careful what you say, pipsqueak," he joked. Jack huffed.

"Look who's talking, biggersons!" As they laughed, Felix walked in with his laptop under his arm.

"Mark! I've got a bone to pick with you!"

"Yes?" They both said. Felix stopped and looked at them.

"... Oh." Felix smiled. "Did it work?"

"Hell yeah!" Jack pumped his fist. "Look at me! I'm so little!"

"I can see that." Felix was looking at Mark. "How weird does It feel to be normal sized?" He asked. Mark puckered his lip.

"You mean how does it feel to be giant sized?" He chuckled. "Pretty cool!" Felix grinned.

"Neat!"

"Hey Felix!" Jack called. "You're even bigger asshole from down here!"

"Jack, I swear to god, don't make me sit on you." Mark laughed.

"Careful! That's still my body."

"Catch me if you can!" Jack suddenly yelled and started running. Mark watched, mystified, as Jack ran across the floor and under the couch.

"You don't have this kind of technology?" Felix wondered. Mark shook his head.

"No," he murmured. He smiled. "Not this advanced." Felix clapped him on the back. Mark stumbled, surprised.

"You should probably make sure Jack doesn't get into any trouble." Mark nodded and walked to the couch. He kneeled and looked under to see Jack watching him with a big smile.

"So? How does it feel to be helpless and terrified of everything?" Mark asked.

"Oh you're not helpless, Mark!" Jack walked up to him, still grinning. "And this is awesome! Everything's so big." Mark put his cheek on the floor.

"This is still so weird." Jack poked Mark's hand as the engineer added, "I mean, not only the size change, but the whole me being you, and you being... well, me."

"I snagged a prototype." Jack climbed onto Mark's hand. Mark flinched. "Whoa!" Jack flailed. "Careful! You'll knock me off."

"S-sorry," Mark mumbled. He tried to keep still as Jack climbed up his arm. "This is just so surreal, I'm trying to wrap my head around it."

"Then we're gonna be here a while; that's a lot of head to wrap with." Mark gasped, smiling.

"Oh no, my ego!" Jack laughed and climbed on to Mark's shoulder. Mark tried to turn his head to see him, but it hurt his neck to strain so much. "Hey, Felix!" Mark slowly and carefully stood up, and then he turned to the other giant. "I have a parrot on my shoulder!"

"My name's not Polly!" Jack yelled. Mark winced, making Jack wobble.

"God you're loud, and you don't even have your set of lungs," Mark chuckled.

"You're really loud too," Jack admitted. He poked Mark's neck. "Luckily I'm used to hearing myself scream all day." Mark laughed.

"You guys are really starting to trip me out," Felix exclaimed.

"I'm still tripping balls." Mark laughed but noticed Jack was suddenly quiet. "You ok?" He asked.

"Um." His voice came out in a squeak. "I-I forgot about one small teeny tiny little problem." Mark frowned.

"What's that?" He started to get worried.

"I-I'm kind of afraid of heights," Jack confessed. Mark's eyes widened.

"Oh shit, why didn't you tell me!?" He crouched down and offered his hand for Jack to climb on. Jack did, and Mark could feel his small legs shaking as he lowered him to the floor. Jack climbed off gratefully, sighing.

"Thanks Mark," he said wearily. Mark smiled and mussed his hair.

"It's ok. I understand." Then he added, "You wanna go back to normal? This was fun and all, but I'm kind of missing my sexy body."

"Me too," Jack chuckled quietly. He shook his head and straightened up. "In order for us to go back to normal, we need to turn that switch off- at the same time!" He yelped, stopping Mark.

"Oh." He dropped his hand. "So on the count of three, we have to turn them off at the same time?"

"Yep. And then we'll be back to normal." Mark nodded.

"Ok."

"On three. One, two, three!" They flicked their switches. Mark's vision was taken over by the bright light. This time he didn't fight it, relaxing until his senses regained control. Then he blinked. He was back to normal. Jack's giant sneakers loomed in front of him, and so did the rest of his surroundings.

Yep. I'm back to normal. Mark groaned and rubbed his head. "Ow, god..." he looked up and saw Jack doing the same.

"I forgot to mention the side effects," Jack admitted. He gave Mark a sheepish grin. "Oops." Mark chuckled.

"How does it feel to be a big baby again?" Jack shrugged.

"Not too bad. How about you, you happy to be a little bitch again?" Mark snorted.

"Who, me?" He asked innocently. He walked up to Jack and climbed on his shoe. "You can't possibly be talking about me!" Jack laughed and let him climb on his extended hand.

"Of course I am." He lifted Mark up and held him to his chest in a gentle hug. Mark squirmed and giggled.

"Hey! You can't just insult me and get away with a hug!" He yipped. Jack scoffed.

"He says as he's hugged anyway."


	14. Dark Nights (Mark and Jack) Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack befriends the gentle giant that saved his ass from the bad storm.

Cool damp light met Jack's eyes. He blinked, taking in the gentle rays of sunshine. Then he yawned and rolled over. Soft grass tickled his face, and he frowned. Wait... grass? Jack opened his eyes again. Grass isn't black. He shook his head and sat up. He wasn't in his room.

This isn't home! Where's the farm? Suddenly last night's events struck him. Jack's eyes widened as he remembered everything, the good, the mostly bad... and the giant. So it wasn't a dream. He got up, and from head to toe his body ached. Jack frowned, in pain, as he looked around.

Yeah, this is the cave with all of that treasure! And if this isn't grass, then does that mean... Jack took a couple of steps forward and pulled back the soft wild tufts. A tan cheek stretched out before him, adjoining an expanse of black cloth. Jack sighed. The giant was laying on his side, and he looked sound asleep still. At least I'm feeling much better, thanks to him. Jack smiled. With the fear of the fire behind him, he was now giddy. He was still nervous about the giant, but Jack thought it was pretty fucking awesome to come across a sentient being so huge.

It was his childish wonder that made Jack move again. He pushed through the soft locks of hair and stepped past the hairline. Heat radiated under his feet as the Irishman walked onto the side of the giant's face. Jack shivered. Even though the giant was asleep, he still looked so powerful, and he felt like it too.

Jack stopped beside his closed eye. His lashes were as long as his forearm, and the giant was emanating so much body heat that Jack felt really warm. He shivered and looked at his own body. Mud caked his skin and clothes, and his clothes were also ragged and torn. Am I even worthy to be here? Jack suddenly wondered. I'm nothing but a dirty little creature in comparison to him. And yet... Jack sighed. I'm really grateful that he let me stay. But maybe I should just go before he wakes up. I've caused him enough trouble.

Jack turned to look for a way down when the ground suddenly moved under his feet. He gasped and waved his arms as he fell on his back and slid. He yelled and tried to grab onto something, and at the last second he managed to grab onto the giant's ear as the giant groaned and sat up. Jack's breath hitched. He was high up in the air with nothing under his feet.

"Oh jeez, oh jeez, oh god..." Jack gasped as he tried to look for a safe way up or down. When he found neither, he groaned. He had to talk to the giant. "Hey!" Jack yelled. "A little help?" The giant's hand came up sooner than Jack expected. He yelped as huge digits curled around his small body and took him away from the danger. Jack sighed and relaxed in the gentle fist as he was swayed and held up to two large almond brown eyes.

"Thanks," he sighed. He shivered and looked down at the ground, but then he was startled when he received an answer.

"Are you ok?" Jack's head shot up. He looked up with wide eyes and a dropped jaw at the giant. The giant blinked and frowned. "I-I meant your head, how does your head feel?" The giant stammered. Jack blinked three times.

"I- uh, better, It's-it's better." He leaned back and looked the large man up and down, seeing him in a whole new light. "Y-you can talk?" Jack wondered. The giant smiled.

"Can you?" He replied. Jack chuckled, but he was still nervous.

"I guess that's a yes." The giant smiled and put Jack on his thigh.

"What do you call yourself?" He asked.

"Jack." The giant hummed and repeated the Irishman's name to himself, and then he smiled.

"It suits you." He put his hand on his chest. "Mark."

"Nice to meet you, Mark," Jack said quietly. Mark smiled and touched Jack's head, mussing his hair.

"So why did you run in here covered in mud and smoke?" Jack took a deep breath and sat down.

"Well, I'm not sure if I can explain..." he stopped and looked up at Mark. The giant was watching him with wide round eyes. Clearly, he was captivated by the small farmer boy. Jack sighed and gave in. He told Mark about the farm he and his Ma lived on, and how simple but peaceful it was. He explained how his mom had left him in charge, but then the storm had lit the barn roof on fire.

Mark frowned sadly and rubbed Jack's back. "I'm sorry." Jack's eyes widened.

"For what?" He asked. "You saved my sorry ass! If it hadn't been for you, I would have either drowned in that lake, or-or I would have frozen to death, or even died of hunger!"

"I scared you," the giant mumbled. "Scared, you were scared." Jack ran his hand through his hair, pushing his messy bangs out of his face.

"It's fine, dude. You just startled me, that's all," he said.

"No, no." Mark shook his head and insisted, "You got scared and fell in the lake."

"Oh! That was you then, moving all the coins?" Mark nodded, but he looked like a guilty puppy.

"Yes," he muttered and wringed his hands together. "You almost died. I could have killed you. I almost did..." Jack frowned. For a giant, Mark seemed so shy and scared of hurting anybody...

"It's-It's ok, Mark." He leaned and touched the giant's hand. "It was just an accident. I'm fine now, thanks to you." He smiled at the giant, but Mark didn't look comforted.

"I thought you were one of the bad men," he muttered. He shivered, unbalancing Jack.

"What? What are you talking about?" Jack got up and wrapped his arms around Mark's thumb. Mark didn't answer, but his muttering did.

"They come and kill, they steal, they pillage and plunger. My dad said they were bad. He said they were evil..." He shook his head. "They were cursed, greedy. He said that, he said so, and then they killed him...!" Jack's jaw dropped.

"Mark, I... I'm so sorry." He hugged the giant's hand. Warm water splashed on Jack's head, and Jack looked up to see that the giant was crying. "It's ok," Jack murmured. He put his cheek on one of his knuckles. "It's ok, big guy, just let it out..." Mark turned his head and sniffed.

"I'm-I'm sorry." He rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "You-you're different. You're not like them. They would have stolen my dad's treasures and killed me." Jack winced. He thought about the emerald he had almost taken, and he felt horrible.

"It is beautiful," Jack murmured. "They were probably just jealous." Mark sniffed.

"Not anymore." Mark grinned. "When they came for me, I killed them." Jack felt a shiver go down his spine. He watched as Mark frowned sadly. "I-I didn't mean to, though..." he whispered. "They tried to kill me. They wanted to catch me. They-they wanted to hurt me." He clenched his eyes shut as more tears spilt and soaked Jack.

"... Come here." Jack held his arms out. Mark sniffed and gave him a confused look.

"Wh-what?" Jack bobbed his head and flexed his fingers.

"Come on, gimme a hug." Mark blinked rapidly a few times and sniffed. His hand slid behind Jack, and his fingers curled around him as he gently hugged the Irishman to his stomach. Jack hugged the giant the best he could, feeling Mark shake with another sniffle. "It's ok, I got ya." Jack felt a little awkward. Mark had been the one who had saved his life, and yet he was the one being comforted. Mark was the one who needed help, not Jack. "How long have you been on your own?" Jack murmured.

"I... I can't remember." Jack looked at the giant's abdomen. His abs felt hard as rock under the tight black shirt, but he also felt skinny despite his muscular physique. Jack frowned.

"Um." Jack cleared his throat and looked up at Mark. "Do you want to go outside with me? I could use some grub?" Mark's eyes lit up.

"I know some good places with rotten trees," he quickly murmured. "They've got lots of good grubs in them." Jack couldn't help but laugh.

"It's a figure of speech!" Mark slanted his head.

"Figure of speech?" He echoed. Jack's smile dropped.

"You don't know what that is?" Mark shook his head. Jack smiled again and pat the giant's hand. "It's ok, I'll teach you. A figure of speech is basically when you say something, but you don't actually mean it. It's not literal. For example," Jack pointed at his head. "My hair is dyed green. If I call it grass, I don't mean it. I'm just kidding that it looks like grass, but it isn't actually grass."

"Floofy," Mark murmured, mussing Jack's hair. Jack grinned.

"Yeah, I'm too lazy to comb through it. It's messy no matter what I do, so I just leave it." Mark hummed, seeming to get the idea. "When I said I could use some grub," Jack continued, "I just meant food. It's a synonym." Mark gave the Irishman a blank look.

"... Synonym?" Jack sighed.

"I'll explain on the way, do you know where we can find some berries?" Mark nodded and picked Jack up.

"How far is your farm?" Mark wondered as he got up and started walking across the gold mounded cave floor.

"I'm not sure," Jack admitted as Mark exit the cave and emerged in the forest."It was pretty dark, and I couldn't see much. I was just running for my life." Mark gave Jack a small squeeze.

"I won't let anything happen to you," the giant promised solemnly. Jack smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks." He tried not to look down. The giant was even taller than he initially thought. Up here, he could see the tops of the trees; far down below, the ground lurked under the trees and bushes. Jack blanched and gripped Mark's finger. Mark looked down at him.

"Something wrong?" He murmured. He looked really worried.

"I'm ok." Jack didn't want the giant to worry. Mark frowned and tasted the air.

"I smell smoke." Jack looked at the horizon.

"Jesus! It's still on fire." The trees at the edge of the woods were burnt to a crisp, but there were still small flames dancing in the branches. Jack shuddered and leaned against Mark, wondering what would have happened if he hadn't gone into the forest. Mark said nothing, watching the burning remnants of the hungry fire. He held Jack close to his chest, and he vowed to protect his new friend with all his might.


	15. Fables (Jack and Ethan+Mat)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a dare, Mat ventures into the Forbidden Forest- with a terrified Ethan in tow- to discover just how real a rumor about a feral giant living in the woods is.

"No way!" Mat shook his head. "Nuh uh, there are no such things as giants! It's just a dumb story to keep rowdy teenagers from being nosy!"

"It is too true!" Ethan's eyes were wide as he started shaking. "Felix please, don't make us go in there!" He begged. "The forest is forbidden- which is why it's called the  _Forbidden_  Forest!?"

"Sorry bro." The blue eyed blonde had a twinkle of mischief in his eyes as he grinned. "But that's the dare, it's either that or you have to kiss Mark." Mark smirked.

"Well, I'm not all that bad," he said with a flirtatious wiggle of his eyebrows. Nate chuckled and nudged Mat.

"Come on Mat, it'll be fine! Just go in and prove that you're right and the legends are nothing more than stories, they've only been around for a year or two anyway." Amy hugged Mark's arm, her eyes wide.

"What does the legend say?" She asked quietly. She was new to the town, so she didn't know the folklore. Stephanie answered eagerly.

"Well," she began, "The story goes like this; once a man named Robin was out hunting in those very woods. He found bear tracks and decided to hunt it down, but just as he entered a clearing..." She paused for a dramatic effect, but then Nate swooped in.

"And SNATCH!" He shouted. "The bear was snatched off the ground and eaten alive in front of Robin's very eyes!" Mat rolled his eyes.

"And he said the beast looked like a giant human," Ethan added with a shudder. "According to the story, it has huge fangs, green glowing eyes and pointed ears."

"Like an elf's!" Stephanie chimed.

"Don't forget the green hair!"

"And the ripped clothes!" Felix smiled smugly.

"And don't forget the part where it's a man-eating monster about a hundred feet tall!" He snarked. Amy gasped and buried her face in Mark's shoulder.

"How terrifying! What if it comes here?!" Mark comforted her with a gentle pat on the back.

"No one's ever really seen it," he reassured. "No one ever really believed it either, but it is a good way of teaching kids to stay out of the wilderness."

"And that's exactly why you two are going to the Forbidden Forest!" Felix jabbed his finger at Mat and Ethan. Ethan shuddered.

"Do I have to!?" He bleated.

"You'll be ok Ethan," Tyler supported, "I'm sure it'll go ok." Mat leap to his feet.

"Well challenge accepted!" He exclaimed. "Give me a pair of gangster sunglasses and grab a bag of popcorn, 'cause we are going in that forest and proving that the legend is nothing more than that! Come on Ethan!" He marched to the door with determination, but Ethan looked desperately at his friends.

"... WHY ME THOUGH!?"

 

 

 

 

"This is so dumb," Ethan mumbled. "Why do we have to do this now, at nighttime? It's dark and I'm cold!" Mat sighed.

"It'll be fine," he whispered. They were standing in front of a tall sturdy fence that stood between the town and the wild. "Come on, let's look for a way out." Mat walked along the fence looking for a good way to get through. Could they climb over it, or maybe find some broken wires and squeeze through?

"Mat!" Mat turned and looked to see Ethan looking at a dip in the ground. It ran under the fence, but it was too shallow for anything but a dog to get through.

"Good eye Ethan!" Mat ran over and dropped to his knees. "Come on, help me dig." Together the two friends scraped at the earth and made it deeper. After some digging Mat tested it out and squeezed under first. With a grunt he pulled away from the barbed wire and turned over. "Made it, come on Ethan!" Mat called. Ethan groaned, but he had no choice and crawled under. He had to hold on to his beanie until he was on the other side, and he ran his hands through his hair to fix it.

"Come on," Mat chuckled. They headed deeper into the forest, a misty fog hanging around the gargantuan trees. Ethan whimpered and stayed close to Mat.

"Oh boy," he mumbled. "Oh boy, ohhh boy..." Mat looked around. Felix never said how long they had to stay out here, but Mat was genuinely curious whether the legend was real or not. He suddenly gasped and came to a halt.

"Ethan, look!" He whispered and pointed. Ethan looked over his shoulder, and his eyes widened. In front of them was a giant footprint- there was a trail of them! They led across the forest floor and deeper into the forest. From what Mat could tell, they didn't look too old. "Let's follow it!" Mat said excitedly.

"Are you crazy!?" Ethan gasped. "You want to follow that thing? What if it really is the monster? What if the giant is hungry and decides to eat us?" He gripped his beanie and wailed, "I don't want to die! I'm too young, we should head back!"

"Pull yourself together man!" Mat exclaimed. "We'll be fine. Tell you what, we won't confront the giant, we'll just... we'll just see where the tracks are headed. And then we'll go back and everything will be fine!" Mat quickened his pace and followed the trail. Ethan whined; he had no choice but to follow. They followed the path for quite some time. Ethan was getting cold, but Mat was determined to find the truth.

"Mat," Ethan whined, "I'm tired, and it's getting really cold, can we go home now?" Mat stopped and looked around.

"Do you feel that?" He murmured. Ethan stopped, confuzzled.

"Feel what?" But as the question escaped his lips, he felt the ground start to shake with rhythmic pulses. Ethan's eyes widened, and he and Mat shared a look. Together, they quickly ran and took cover in the bushes. Birds screeched in the distance and flew away as the trees shivered, and the thumps were getting stronger. Ethan whimpered and gripped Mat's shoulder.

"M-M-Mat?" He stuttered. "Wh-what-"

"Sh!" They both kept quiet as something gargantuan entered the clearing. It was dark, so all they could see was its silhouette. But when it turned its head, Mat saw that it had green, glowing eyes. And it was looking right at them.

Ethan whimpered. The feral monster narrowed its eyes and tasted the air, sniffing. Mat was frozen on the spot. He could feel Ethan shaking beside him. Could it smell them all the way over here? Did it know the two men were there? His questions were answered when the giant suddenly opened its mouth and heaved a roar from its chest. The two boys fell back, shocked. The sound was dreadful, unlike anything they had ever heard! The world vibrated with sheer power; the giant was like something out of Godzilla!

Then the giant started running straight at them. Ethan screamed and bolted in the other direction. "RUN!" Mat snapped out of his trance and ran after Ethan. It was terrifying to feel the power the feral had with each footstep. But despite its size, the monster was surprisingly light on his feet. Mat counted the velocity and groaned.  _We're not gonna make it!_

Mat stopped and hid behind a tree. The giant came closer, and closer, but then as it passed Mat's tree, it stopped and sniffed the air. Mat watched it with wide eyes, and then ducked out of sight when the monster turned toward him. It walked closer, and Mat sank to his knees and closed his eyes.  _Maybe it's like the t-rex in Jurassic Park,_ he hoped. _If I don't move, maybe it won't-_

 _ **RIP!**_ Mat's eyes shot open as the tree was uprooted. He stared up at the giant as it picked the tree up like it was a twig and tossed it over its shoulder. Then it got down on its belly and sniffed. Mat forced himself to stay still as the giant's nose made its way to him, and the monster took a good sniff of him. A low rumble rose up from his throat, and to Mat's confusion the giant sighed and sat up.

"I knew it," it growled. "Yer from that fenced off town nearby, aren't ya?" Mat's jaw dropped.

"You can talk?" He blurted.  _Stephanie won't believe this when I tell her!_

"Of course I can talk." Mat went through his pockets for a small flashlight on his key chain as the giant continued. "Do I look like a squirrel to you?" It scoffed. Mat turned on the light and shined it on the face of a giant man.

"AH!" He yelped and jumped back, dropping his keys. The giant blinked.

"... What did you expect?" He laughed and picked up the keys. Mat stared at him with fear and awe; he couldn't move even when the feral creature offered the keys. "What's the matter?" The giant's lips curved in an amused grin, baring his teeth in what was suppose to be a friendly manner. "Cat got yer tongue?" Mat flinched.

"Uh- I, uh, or-or something like that, y-yeah," he tried to stammer.

"D'aww! Yer adorable!" The giant laughed. He offered the keys again, and this time Mat took them. "What's yer name little duder?"

"Oh, me? I'm, uh." Mat cleared his throat as he gathered his courage. But before he could say any more, Ethan screamed his name.

"MAT!!" They both turned to see Ethan, legs shaking, as he stared at them in horror. "G-get away from him!" He tried to shout bravely. The giant's eyebrow raised, and he grinned.

"And what happens if I don't, hm?" Ethan froze. He clearly didn't expect what was suppose to be a voracious monster to talk. Jack chuckled and reached over, plucking the blue haired boy like he was nothing. Immediately, Ethan started screaming and thrashing, panicking.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey!" Mat yelled. The giant turned to him. "Put him down!" Mat ordered, but then he lost his nerves and swallowed. "Um... p-please?" He added in a small voice. The giant frowned.

"You sure neither of ya will hurt me?"

"Hurt you?" Mat echoed. Then when Ethan continued to scream, he continued, "Ethan stop that racket! It's ok, he's nice." Ethan stopped and looked up at Jack with wide eyes. Jack smiled.

"Hi."

"What do you mean, hurt you?" Mat asked. Jack sighed.

"A long time ago, when there were more hunters and farmers than industrialists, men tried to capture me. I was special to them, a freak of nature." The giant narrowed his eyes and gnashed his teeth. "And then there was one guy that was actually nice. He was from your village, name was, um, Robin." Mat gawked.

"Robin!" He exclaimed. "He told us all that there was giant in these woods, but I think the rumor got twisted somewhere along the timeline." The giant frowned.

"You know Robin? Is he ok? How has he been?" Mat's expression fell.

"Oh." His eyes searched the ground. "I'm so sorry, pal. He died a few weeks ago." Silence. The giant said nothing for a few seconds. Then, he slowly put Ethan down next to Mat, got up, and roared at the sky. Mat and Ethan covered their ears as the giant howled his grief, and when he was done the gargantuan man pinched his nose bridge to hold back his tears.

"How did he die?" The giant asked hoarsely.

"H-he got sick." Mat was enthralled by the giant. "Really sick, but he died in his sleep." The giant sniffed and rubbed his eyes.

"Thank you, for telling me." Ethan stepped closer to the giant. He was still trembling, but the two men now seemed over the worst of their fear.

"So, you're-you're not feral at all," he said quietly. The giant shook his head, shrugged, and went down on one knee.

"No." He put his arms on his knee and buried his face in them, trying to not show his tears. "I'm sorry you and everyone else thinks that," he muttered bitterly.

"We don't think that." Mat walked up to the giant and touched his leg. The giant looked down at him and sniffed. His eyes were glistening with sad tears. Mat offered a small smile. "I'm Mat, and this is my friend Ethan." The giant sniffed and wiped tears away.

"Jack," he mumbled. Mat nodded.

"Jack, would you like us to sit and stay with you for a little bit? Our people don't expect us back until morning." Jack nodded. Mat gestured Ethan over, and together they sat beside the giant. Jack sniffed and rubbed his eyes.

"So," he suddenly said after a few minutes, "Why are you two here?" Mat and Ethan shared a look.

"We were just looking for something," Mat said. "We were on a dare to go out in the forest and spend a night." Jack scratched his head and cleared his throat.

"But it's cold out here!" Mat shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess-" they both yelped and the giant cupped his hands and suddenly scooped them up.

"Here. You'll be warmer." He held them to his chest. Ethan made a few nervous noises and squirmed to get comfortable, while Mat on the other hand did little. He could hear Jack's heart booming beneath his breastbone, and a comforting warmth emanated from the giant. Mat found himself relaxing, and he yawned as he let his head rest and pat Jack's hand.

"Thanks," he murmured.

"No problem." Jack's voice seemed to rumble all around them, making their surroundings vibrate from the sheer power the giant had. Mat found it comforting, but he didn't know why. All he knew was that he and Ethan would have one hell of a tale to tell their friends when they got back.

A real story, not a fable.


	16. Good Spoops (Jack? and Mark) (Halloween Special)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark makes a huge mistake in telling Jack about one of the spoopiest holidays of Earth: Halloween.

"Jack!" Mark ran into the living room, hollering over the noisy tv. "Jack!" He yelled again. The mound under a sea of blankets on the couch shifted, and Jack pulled the blanket off his head.

"Mark?" He muted the tv as Mark ran up to the couch. "What's wrong? Is it too cold for you today? I thought it was only-"

"No." Mark sounded excited. "Jack, do you know what today is?" Jack yawned.

"No?" He sounded puzzled. "I thought today was just a regular old Tuesday."

"No!" Mark waved his arms. "It's Halloween!"

"Hallo... ween?" Jack frowned. "What's Halloween?" Mark's jaw dropped.

"You don't know what Halloween is!?" He started to climb up the blankets, but Jack reached down and helped him up onto the couch.

"No?" Mark gasped and turned around in Jack's hands.

"Why are we friends?" Jack chuckled and set the small engineer on his thigh.

"Because the gravity of your ego was so heavy that you got pulled onto my planet." He gave Mark a gentle poke, making Mark yelp and smack his hand. "Go on, tell me!" Jack urged. "What's Halloween?" Mark huffed and turned to face Jack again.

"Well, on my world, kids used to go from door to door saying trick or treat. And they'd get candy. People would scare each other and play pranks or jokes, the houses would be decorated with cobwebs and skeletons..." Mark sighed. "But that was before pollution got bad. Now we haven't had Halloween for over a hundred years."

"... Candy, you said?" Jack hummed thoughtfully. "Lots of it?" Mark nodded. "Alright." Jack scooped Mark up and got off the couch. "Come on then." Mark started.

"What? Where are we going?" He gripped Jack's fingers as the giant spun around and grabbed his jacket.

"The store! We're going to get you yer candy." Jack put his jacket on and helped Mark into its chest pocket.

"Oh, J-Jack," Mark stammered, "You don't have to-"

"Yep, now shut yer trap."

"But Jack-"

"No buts!"

"Jack I'm serious, you don't have to-"

"Nope!"

"Jack!"

"La da da da da dah!!!" Mark sighed.

"Fine you big baby." Felix walked in to the living room, stretching with his arms high over his head as he yawned languidly.

"Where you off to?" He asked sleepily.

"Out." Jack grabbed his keys and stuck his wallet in his pocket. "We're going to get Mark candy for Halloween."

"Oh..." Felix frowned, puzzled. "Ok." Jack grabbed his hoverboard and then left the house. He tossed the board and then stepped onto it, giving the ground a kick to start the board up. Mark pushed the flap up and peeked out of his pocket.

"Traveling in style now?" Mark mused playfully. Jack scowled at his chest.

"You betchya!" He suddenly stopped the hoverboard and froze. Mark swayed from the inertia and almost fell out of his pocket.

"Jack?" Mark recovered himself and looked up at the giant. "Jack!" He yelled. Jack blinked and smiled to himself; it was a quick, ghost of a smile, and gone in the blink of an eye, but Mark saw it nevertheless.

"Plan B!" Mark uttered noises of his confusion as Jack pulled him out of his pocket and ran back into the house. Felix was pouring himself a cup of coffee when Jack ran into the kitchen and placed Mark on the table. Mark tried to stutter a question, but Jack was already hurrying to the door.

"J-Jack- what-"

"I'm gonna buy you a Halloween present! Be back in a bit!" Then just after he closed the door, Jack opened it again and yelled, "Felix, don't fuck him while I'm gone!"

"You're just a jealous little potato," Felix mumbled as Jack slammed the door and left. Mark stared at the door.

"... What was that about?" He slowly asked. Felix yawned and took his coffee to the living room.

"No idea." He turned on the tv and took a sip. Mark sat on the table and sighed. He wondered what Jack was up to when Felix's phone suddenly rang a few minutes later. Felix groaned and answered it.

"Did you forget your puny ego and lose it again?" Felix's eyes widened. He sat up. "Oh?" Mark head tilted curiously. He watched as Felix got up and left the room. Mark sighed. Business call, maybe. He looked at the tv and used his grappling gun to get down. It took him a few minutes, but he managed to finally climb onto the couch and watch the show. He heard Felix laugh in the other room and smiled, changing his guess. I bet it's Marzia.

"Ok, yeah, that sounds good." Felix walked back into the room. "Yeah, alright," he laughed. "Love you too, weirdo. Bye." He minimized his phone and sighed, sitting down and making Mark almost fall over from his weight against the sagging cushions.

"Hey! Watch it!" Mark yelped.

"Oh, sorry Mark." Felix righted Mark and saved his balance. "I didn't see you there." Mark held on to Felix's thumb and sighed.

"It's fine." They watched the tv in an awkward lapse of silence. It'd been a while since Mark had been alone with Felix. Mark was so used to always having Jack hovering around, he wasn't sure what to say to Felix.

"... You wanna play a game?" Felix suddenly asked half an hour later. Mark grinned.

"Sure."

 

 

 

Mark laughed as Felix shouted in a different language and threw his controller. "No!" Felix yelled, "I had him! I fucking had him!" Mark rolled over on his back and gripped his stomach.

"I tried to tell you! I thought you were good at this game!"

"I SAID I LIKED THIS GAME, I USED TO!" Mark covered his ears and kept laughing as Felix raged. "But not anymore! Fuck it, it's fucking dead to me!"

"Jeez, you two!" Mark looked up to see Jack carrying a box and a bag of candies. "The neighbors are complaining," he sniggered, "Mister and Misses Trees are saying their some-odd thousand of kids are complaining about two very strange creatures in my home."

"Jack!" Mark cried gleefully. Jack smiled and looked at Felix.

"Did you try to teach him to play PUBG?" He nodded at the death screen.

"Tried to is the key term," Mark teased. Felix harumphed, and Jack laughed.

"Well, here." Jack set the candy down beside Mark and opened the box. "I got you this." Mark's eyes got wide when Jack showed him the surprise.

"Jack!" He was holding a VR game called Emily Wants to Play. "You got me a game!?" Jack chuckled.

"Course I did! For my little buddy."

"Aww, baby..." Felix teased. They giggled and Jack put his hand down for Mark to climb on.

"Come on, let's get it set up."

"Yes please!" Mark agreed. They went into Jack's recording room, and Mark watched from his desk as Jack pushed things around and got his studio set up for Mark to play in.

"I'll leave the candy in my room, for when you're done." Jack got up and wiped his hands together.

"Thanks Jack." Mark was looking at his tiny VR ear buds. He was still fascinated by this world's technology, yet it all remained a mystery to him.

"Well, have fun leaving reality," Jack chuckled and put the game in. "Go ahead, put them on." Mark put them in and waited for Jack to plug them in. He grinned as the game loaded, and then he suddenly tensed.

"Why are there child dolls?" He said in a small voice. Jack smirked.

"Because they're fucking terrifying." Mark nodded in agreement and yelped.

"That door just opened on its own! No, stay away creepy baby dolls!" Jack chuckled and went to the door.

"Have fun," he said in a singsong voice. Mark uttered a small grunt as Jack quietly shut the door. He listened at the door for a few seconds before a smirk grew over his lips. He chuckled to himself and headed to the living room, where Felix lay stretched out on the floor waiting with a crooked grin.

"That was very nice of you," Felix said. "Getting Mark that game." Jack chuckled.

"That's me, Mr. Nice." Felix sat up. "A VR game means Mark won't be aware of his surroundings," Jack continued. His eyebrows wagged as he smirked again. "You ready?" He giggled evilly.

Felix smirked back. "Let the plan begin!"

 

 

 

Mark hated dolls. He hated anything with a fake face or no face, but this game took the icing on the cake. He kept jumping and screaming at everything, even though it was all proportionate to him. Finally, when the main antagonist jumped at him and screamed in his face with its voiceless mouth and lifeless eyes, Mark screamed and turned the electronic visor off.

"Nope!" He panted in the sunset's light as he separated himself from the horror game. "No no no no no no no no no..." He sighed and smiled. "That was terrifying." He wiped the sweat off his brow and pulled his earbuds out. "Oh holy shit. That's some good spoops." He sighed and looked up at the window, peering at the golden rays. "Whoa, it's already almost dark." He turned and saw that the door was shut. Mark groaned.

"Jack?" He walked up to the door and tried to pull on it. "Jack, you nearby?" No answer. Mark sighed. "I don't want to crawl under it, not again," he muttered, but he went down on his stomach anyway and crawled under. The wood was claustrophobically low down, pressing on Mark's back and scraping him as he reached the other side. Mark pulled away as soon as he could and got up, still shaky from the game.

"Phew." Mark sighed and tugged on his shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles before he turned and walked down the hallway. "Jack?" He called again. The lights were off for some reason. The tv was off too, so Mark had to take out his flashlight to see where he was going. "Felix?" Maybe they had an errand to run and didn't want to bother me. Mark looked around for the light switch and saw it. He turned and pulled out his grappling gun, aimed, and fired. It took three tries before the hook latched onto the switch, and Mark climbed up to it. At the hook, he balanced on the rim of the panel, and with all his might he pulled the rope. The switch locked up and clicked, but the lights didn't come on.

"That's weird," Mark murmured. But then bright white light blasted in his eyes. He shielded his eyes as static shook the air, and he looked to see that the tv was on but not working. Mark was starting to get a chilly feeling. He slid down to the floor and drew his knife out for comfort, gripping the weapon as he slowly walked up to the tv. There was nothing but white and black grainy static, and then it suddenly turned off.

As Mark struggled to adjust to the darkness, the tv shot on again. Mark yelped and fell over on his butt as it began to rapidly switch channels, voices overlapping. It was really loud. Mark covered his ears and curled up, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. One voice seemed to laugh at him, quietly at first, but then it grew louder in volume and cackled.

"Did̶ yo͘̕u͟͡ m̢͡isş̸ m̧͡͞e?͞" Mark felt a shiver run down his spine. He shot up to his feet and looked around, wielding the knife.

"Wh-who are you!?" Mark shouted. That voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it...

The glitchy voice laughed again. "Lo̵ok a̶t͟ y͡͠o̵̴͘u.̛ J̢u͡҉s̵̡t̕ s̵i͠t̨ti̴ng ţh͡er͏e!̸" Mark's skin crawled as he turned around, but the voice sounded like it was all around him and digging into his skull. "N͝o͝͏҉t̛͘ w̡o̷͡r͜͝҉r̵ie҉d҉͡ a͜͢b̡͟o̡͘͝u̸͘t a̡͏n̶y͡t̶͟h̛i͘͡n̵̵g," the voice giggled. Mark's hand shook, gripping the knife tighter. He didn't understand what or why, but he was terrified.

"Where-where are you?" His voice quivered in his throat. Just as he turned around again, a figure suddenly loomed out of the darkness. Mark blanched and almost dropped his knife. "Jack?" He whispered. The figure glitched, and the voice cackled at him.

"H҉e̶'̨s̢̧ g͞o͢n҉̶̨e͏͞ f̧ǫ̷r̶̴e̢v̷͜͏er̵͠.̵̨͝" Mark quivered and ran under the couch. The thing laughed again and crouched down, watching him. "Y̨͜͜o̴͘u̕ c͝a̧̡͢n'̨t̶ h҉i͟d̴̵͟ę̴" He whispered. "Y̕͢oư'̶̸r̴̢e͘͏ j̴҉u̶̧͠s̶͟t̛͡ a̢̧ l͡it̸tl̕e̵͘͡ m̢͝o̕҉ųs҉e̷̶͢ in͜ m̵y̷͞ m̧͘͜a̢͠z̷̨͏e̸" He wet his lips with his tongue and suddenly snarled, "W̴͠he̷̷r͟e̛͞ d͟o͡ y̸͞o҉̵̵u̸ t͠h͟͜i̕nk ye̶̸͡r go̧̢i͏͜n͜g̡̢?̷͘ G̡͘ȩ͘t̨̨͘ b̕ac̨͘k̨͠͝ ḩ͝e̴̸͢r̷̛̛e̕!͢" Mark had run out on the other side of the couch and was sprinting for Jack's recording room. The giant growled and walked after him. Mark's mind was blank with pure fear as he pushed harder, adrenaline coursing through his body. The giant's footsteps thudded and boomed against the ground, shaking Mark's world until a foot suddenly slammed in his path. Mark careened into the shoe and bounced back, and he found himself on his back as he shook away the daze and stared at the monster.

"Jack!?" Mark cried. The being giggled and crouched down over him. His eyes glowed an electric green in the darkness, but Mark couldn't make out much else.

" I̴̶'̧̛m̷ no̡t͘͡ J͜a̵̡̡c̵̡͝k̸̨͠.̢" His hand reached down to Mark and covered him. Mark screamed as he was snatched up in a fist, and he tried to fight back with all his might.

"Let me go!" Mark yelled. Anti-Jack held Mark up to his eye level and grinned. He had an insane look in his eyes, Mark realized, and that made him even more scared.

"P̕̕oo̧͘͝r̴̢ th̸i҉n͜҉g̶͞͞," the demon snarked, "Yo̸͢͝u҉'̶̧re̵͟͝ s̵̨o̧͟͡ s͜m̷̕a̸̷l̴͜l̴,͘ s҉̸o͡ s̛qu̶͟e͠e̡z͜a̧̡b̴̢le̶." A cry escaped Mark's lips as the cold fingers around him tightened. "So b͜r͟͟҉e҉a͜͢͠k͏̷͜a͝b̸̶le," the being laughed. Mark tried to push away, but all he could do was wiggle like a fish caught in a net. Anti-Jack laughed. "I͏̛͠'̕m̴̵ t͠͝h͟͏͜e̷͡ c̴om͝p҉lȩ̸te̡ o͏̸̛p͝p͘o̢s̕͞i̸̧͟t͜͝ȩ̷ o҉f̛ J͡͝ą͏ck͡," he said. "Ş͜͞o̶͠ y̛o͟͝u͢ c͏͠a͏n ça̧͏l͟͏l͘ m̶͞ȩ̶͝...̢͘ Ą̶͜n͏̴t͘I." Mark felt a chill shoot down his spine.

"A-Anti?" Suddenly Mark felt smaller than ever. In the hands of what seemed like a cold-blooded demonic killer, Mark had never felt more helpless. "P-Please..." He closed his eyes, and a tear trickled down his long cheek. Anti frowned.

"C͝͏o̧m̵e̡͟ on̸̕ M̸̢ar͡k͘̕͝,̧ do̸͞҉n̸̨'͢t̨͏ c͠r̢̢͡y̵͟." Mark shuddered as the giant mussed his hair. "C̵o̢͜m҉͏e̢ ơ̕͏n͡ Ma̴̢͘r̴̢͟k̡͘͝,̶ i͝t͟'͠s͜ o͡͡k͢͡!" He opened his eyes.

"H-how... how do you know my name?" Anti grinned, and the lights suddenly came back on. The glitchy effect disappeared, and Mark stared with his jaw hanging.

"I̶̕ g̨̧o̵t y͜͏o͢u go̴͟͡od̛̛, didn't I?" Jack peeled something small and metal off his neck, and his voice returned to normal. Mark struggled for his words as Jack reached up and took out contacts, and his eyes were crystal blue once more.

"What... how?" Mark stammered. "Huh!?" Jack smirked.

"You can come out now, Felix! We got him." Felix came out with a grin plastered over his face, and the tv remote in his hands. Mark was flabbergasted.

"B-but the-the glitching, the-the demon-"

"It was just a prank, bro." Felix laughed. "Happy Halloween!"

Mark just stared at them.

"It was my idea." Jack puffed his chest out proudly. "You said people scare each other and play pranks on Halloween, so there ya go!"

Mark blinked, and Felix frowned.

"I think you scared him," he suggested.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! He- OW!" Mark had suddenly grabbed Jack's finger and bit him. Jack flailed his hand away from Mark as Felix burst out laughing.

"That's what you get for giving me a fucking heart attack!" Mark yelled. Jack laughed.

"Happy Halloween! Did I scare ya?" Mark harumphed and turned his back, crossing his arms.

"How dare you! I don't scare that easily." Jack sniggered.

"Ye sure about that?" Mark held up both of his middle fingers above his head and didn't turn around. "Ok, ok," Jack laughed and mussed Mark's hair. Mark jerked his head and growled. "You love me," Jack teased. Mark glared up at the giant, but he couldn't suppress a grin.

"You just wait. I'll get you back." He waved his finger at Jack. "You better sleep with one eye open mister, because I'll strike when you least expect it!" Jack grinned.

"Sure. As soon as you stop taking entire minutes to run across the fucking floor."


	17. Lost Boy (Mark and Jack) Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack tries taking a shortcut through a forest, but he ends up finding more than he bargained for.

"Felix?" Jack's cry startled some birds out of a tree. The Irishman looked around, and then cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted again. "Ethan? Anyone!?" He looked around.  _I knew taking that shortcut would be a bad idea. Now I'm really lost!_

Jack stopped walking and listened for any reply to his yelling. But only the sounds of the forests enveloped him. He sighed. "Where the fuck am I?" He kept walking and calling out for his friends. The sun was already going down, which meant it was going to get a lot colder soon. He put his hands in his pockets and shivered. The crisp clear smell of rain was on the wind; it would be a long, cold, wet night if he didn't find shelter soon. He needed to find the others, and fast.

Jack drew in another breath to shout, but the words stuck in his throat because a distant roar interrupted him, shocking the Irishman. _What was that!?_ Jack listened and heard another growl. He followed the sound through the thick forest, hearing the ground scrape as the strange animal growled and groaned. Jack stopped behind a tree, puzzled. That sounds like someone's hurt! He reached the edge of the forest and stepped out of the trees. His eyes flew wide open, and he gasped.

He was standing on the edge of a large clearing, with flowers speckling the huge meadow. It gave away to rocky cliffs, where a waterfall poured from high above and cascaded into a shimmering pool. But it was what was beside the pool that caught Jack's attention. The long gargantuan bulk of a giant creature shifted in the grass, letting out humanly groans and scratching the ground. Fascinated, and concerned, Jack slowly came closer. He was enthralled. It was huge! _What is that?_

He stopped near the creature and was shocked when the sun hit the monster at just the right angle. It was a giant man with tan skin and black wavy hair; bangs hung in his face; his shirt was a little threadbare, and so were the pants. But what caught Jack's attention was the giant's arm. It was covered in scratches and blood, and there was something shiny wrapped around it, and something sticking out of the skin.  _That's a whaling harpoon! What's it doing here?_

As Jack stared at the giant's arm, the giant suddenly opened his eyes and sniffed. Jack looked up to see huge almond brown eyes focused on him, and he blanched. A wave of fear creeped down his spine and sent a tremor through his breast. The eyes narrowed, and the giant roared at him. Jack yelped and ran away a few paces, but the giant groaned and slumped against the ground again. Jack stopped and looked at him.  _Aww, he's hurt._  Jack stood there, unsure what to do.  _I gotta get home, and fast, but this big guy's in a lot of pain. Maybe if I just..._

Jack swallowed and walked back to his spot. The giant growled at him and bared his teeth, but his countenance betrayed him; he was hurt and scared. Jack smiled nervously and put his hands up, shaking. "H-hey buddy," he spoke softly. The giant tensed and growled at him again. Jack took a few slow, wary steps forward. "It's ok, I just wanna help," he murmured. He flinched when the giant's hand came flying, and it smashed the ground right in front of him. Jack coughed and waved the dust away, and he looked up to see the giant staring at him incredulously. He looked like he expected Jack to run away again.

"You're hurt," Jack said. He pointed at the harpoon. "That could get worse if you don't take it out." The giant scratched at his injury and whined. The whimper cut Jack's heart in two. "P-please." Jack stepped closer. "Can I help you?" He stared into the giant's eyes. They were a deep, glossy brown, smooth and shiny like river stones with a gold gleam. The giant quivered, then ducked his head and looked away. Jack took this as a yes and walked closer. He held his breath as he entered the giant's shadow. The gargantuan man took up his entire vision, but Jack focused on his arm. He walked up to it and touched it; the skin was red and irritated.

"The rope's rubbing your skin, cutting into it and irritating," Jack said to himself. A worried rumble vibrated in the giant's broad chest. Jack stepped back and studied the arm, fully aware of the giant's eyes resting on him. "You just need to relax," Jack suggested. He grabbed the end of the rope and looked up at the giant. He had his head tilted, and his bangs were covering his eye.

"Listen to me," Jack urged, "You need to calm down, ok? I know it hurts, but I need yer help to get it out, all right?" The giant looked at him for a few seconds, and then exhaled a warm breeze that washed over Jack comfortingly. Jack smiled. "Ok. Now you need to help me by getting this rope unwound. I'll walk you through it." Jack kept well back and helped the giant untangle himself. The rope was wrapped around real good, and the giant kept twitching with pain, but eventually they managed to expose the raw wounds. All that remained now was the harpoon.

Jack called the giant down to put his arm out, and the giant obeyed. Jack climbed up the giant's upper arm and then walked down to his forearm. He did his best to avoid the irritated areas, and the giant did his best to not move. Finally, Jack stopped beside the harpoon and examined it. He looked up at the giant with a regretful glance.

"This is going to hurt, dude." The giant growled and squeezed his eyes shut. Jack gripped the top of the harpoon, sucked in a deep breath, and then pulled with all his might. The harpoon slid out, and the giant roared in pain and thrashed. Jack yelled as he was thrown from his perch and slammed painfully against the ground, and darkness crashed down over him.

 

 

 

 

It was dark, but not cold. Every one of Jack's bones felt like they were broken, but somehow the Irishman managed to open his eyes and sit up. The full moon's cold light shined around him, but he was shrouded In darkness, and warm. Jack shivered as warm air hit him, and he looked up to see the giant watching him. His large brown eyes widened, and he rumbled in relief and nuzzled Jack. Stunned, Jack didn't do anything for a few seconds. Then he reached up and rubbed the giant's nose.

"F-feel-feel better?" He asked hoarsely. The giant whimpered and rubbed his cheek against Jack. Jack winced. "Ow, easy big guy," he laughed. "I'm glad you feel better. Just make sure to wash those cuts, ok? We wouldn't want it getting infected." The giant rumbled in agreement and nuzzled him again. Jack smiled, but then he groaned and clutched his arm.

"O-ow..." The giant whined and tried to examine him, but Jack put his hand up. "I'll-I'll be ok." A weak smile spread over his lips. "I just need to rest..." Jack looked around and saw that he was sitting in the giant's hand. The huge man was only on his knees, but it was still a long way down; too long, if you asked Jack.

Meanwhile, the giant frowned at the tiny Irishman and touched his arm. Pain radiated in Jack's shoulder, and his smile quickly dropped as he gasped and gripped his arm. "Ow!" He yelped. The giant winced and took his hand away. He rumbled remorsefully. "It's ok." Jack studied his arm and noticed that his shoulder looked weird. "Actually," he said, looking up at the giant again, "I could use yer help." The giant blinked. "First," Jack continued, putting his hand up. "You'll tell me yer name." The giant thought about this for a few seconds, and then he nodded and started writing in the ground. Jack watched as he carved out the letters, and when he was done he squinted in the darkness and read out loud.

"Mark?" The giant nodded. Jack smiled and looked up at Mark. "Well, nice to meet ya dude. I'm Jack." He put his good arm out, and Mark looked at him for a few seconds before understanding. He carefully pinched Jack's arms between two fingers, and they shook hands. "Ok." Jack grinned. Now that he didn't feel scared anymore, he was utterly thrilled about his discovery of Mark.

"Now, Mark, can ye help me fix my arm? I'm pretty sure it got knocked out of place when we got that harpoon out." Mark guiltily looked at Jack, and then held him closer and studied his arm. A rumble rose from deep in his chest as he looked at Jack and nodded. Jack nodded back, and he held his arm out the best he could. Mark pinched it and, not giving Jack a chance to prepare himself, pulled. Jack screamed as his arm popped back into its socket, and he cursed loud and colourfully.

"Son of a bitch!" He rubbed his arm. "That hurt!" Mark growled apologetically as Jack examined his arm. "It doesn't hurt anymore!" Relief sprung up in Jack. He smiled up at Mark. "You fixed it! Thanks buddy." The he shivered, seeming to have finally realized how cold it was getting; there was a cold front coming, carrying wind and rain. Mark whined and held Jack against his chest. Jack yawned. "You make a very nice heater," he mumbled. The giant purred, to Jack's surprise, and rubbed the little Irishman's back. Against his will, Jack's eyes slowly closed, and he drifted off into comfortable sleep before he could even realize how tired he was.

 


	18. Snowstorm (Jack and Mark) (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was suppose to be a hiking trip ends up a disaster when Mark gets separated from his friends, and trapped in a vicious blizzard, when an unexpected rescuer comes to his aide.

"Amy!" Mark struggled against the wind and called again. "Ethan? Tyler! Anybody!" He heard nothing. His voice was whipped away by the howling wind, he could hear nothing and see nothing but white. He shivered.  _Where the hell am I? I hope the others are ok._ The accident was still fresh on his mind. It had been his dumb idea to try to climb a mountain in Europe, but then a sudden blizzard had broken off a chunk of rock, and an avalanche ensued. Mark's rope had broke, and he'd tumbled for a long time before collapsing on snowy ground. Now, he was lost, wet, cold, and trapped in a nasty storm.  _What a great Christmas this was._

"Hello!?" Mark yelled. "Anybody!" He misstepped and fell face first in the snow. He groaned and sat up, huddling miserably in the snow drift.  _Shit_! He tried to get up, but his legs buckled. He fell on his side and lay there, shuddering. He tried to hide his face in his parka as the wind howled on unrelentlessly. He tried to take a few minutes to rest, but his muscles grew numb; ice crystals beaded his beard and lashes and brow; he was so cold he hardly had the strength to even shiver.

 _So... cold..._  Mark coughed. His throat burned, and his lungs felt frozen in the chilly air. His eyelids felt heavy, and he eventually closed them.  _Just... five minutes..._ He started to drift into darkness, but then he felt something in the ground. It was a tremor, and then there was another; and another. They were light, at first, but then they grew and magnified.  _Another avalanche. Great_. Mark closed his eyes again and went limp in the snow. White powder already partially covered his cold body.

The tremors got louder. He could hear the snow crunching, and hear something huffing against the freezing air. Mark thought little of it though; he only wished that his friends were ok. But before he could slip into darkness, something warm touched him. He opened his eyes and saw a shadow stretched over him. But it was hard to see what. He shuddered and tried to move, but he only could curl up a little. The huge figure over him rumbled and crouched down. A warm breath of air tickled Mark's bare skin. He gasped and shivered, invigorated by warmth. Groggily, he tried to sit up and fell over, and he made no progress. Heat radiated through the air just before the big thing lay down behind him. The snow blew off his side, and then Mark felt something nudge him. He was forced to curl up, and then pressed against a warm wall.

His body tingled as warmth crept into him. His teeth chattered for a while, and he continued to shiver for a bit until he started to warm up. Whatever had settled down beside him, it was blocking the wind and snuggling Mark with its body heat. Mark sighed and relaxed, starting to feel better as the storm continued to wail. The being shifted and carefully placed itself on top of the stranded man, enveloping him in warm darkness. Mark turned over and closed his eyes. He was still tired. Before he could help it, he found himself falling asleep.

 

 

 

 

Mark opened his eyes slowly. Something thumped loudly in his ears like a drum, and it was dark. He shifted and tried to sit up, but he was pinned on the crunchy snow. He squinted and touched his surroundings. Fabric covered him like a blanket, but behind it felt something solid, like bone.  _Bone_? Mark gripped the fabric and pulled on it. A loud rumble greeted his ears, and his eyes widened.  _What was that? It sounded like... like a snore._

"H-hello?" Mark pushed whatever was laying on top of him, but it didn't budge. He tried again. "Hey! Is anybody there?" The thing suddenly moved. Mark heard a loud groan as the huge figure shifted and moved away from Mark. Mark's eyes grew very wide as the creature sat up and gave out a loud, toothy yawn; it looked like a person, but he was massive!

Mark stared up from the snow drift as the giant rubbed his eyes and shook the snow out of his hair. He ruffled it and then looked around at the snowy landscape. Mark was breathless. He was amazed. But when the giant looked down and realized Mark was awake, his bright blue eyes widened. With a noise of fear, he suddenly jumped away from the human and took off running. Mark gasped.

"W-wait!" Snow from the booming footsteps dumped on Mark's head. He sputtered and shook his head, getting the snow out of his eyes. But when he looked up, the giant was gone. All that remained were its large footprints. Mark slumped and shook the snow out of his ears.  _He's gone..._  He was frozen in place for a few seconds.  _He saved my life. I would have died if he hadn't sheltered me from that storm... so why did he run?_

Mark snapped out of it and climbed out of the drift.  _I need to follow those footprints before they disappear._  But as he started running, a voice pierced the chilly air.

"Mark!" Mark skidded and turned to see his friends and their mountain guide.

"Amy!" He ran and sweeped the platinum blonde woman off her feet, hugging her dearly. The others laughed in relief as he kissed Amy and then hugged them all.

"We thought you were dead!" Ethan gasped. Tyler shot him a look and said, more carefully, "We were really worried about you. That storm was nasty."

"Are you ok?" Amy hugged his arm. He smiled at her.

"I-I'm fine, I..." His smile fell, and he looked back at the footprints. They were already starting to fade. "Someone saved me," He murmured. Ethan's eyes got big.

"Who?" Mark shook his head.

"I don't know, but he was scared of me for some reason... he left as soon as the storm was over." Mark's eyes widened, and he shook his head. "I-I gotta go find him!" He kissed Amy's cheek and then turned and started running.

"Mark!" Ethan started after him, but then stopped and looked back at the others.

"Mr. Fischbach!" The mountain guide tried to protest.

"Just stay there, I'll be right back!" Mark ran along the footprints and followed the trail. He ran as fast as he could as the wind started to pick up. It started to snow when he reached the base of the mountains, and in front of him yawned a large hole in the rock. The prints led straight inside. He inhaled deeply, and then walked in to the cave. Stalagmites sparkled with frozen water; it was pretty dark and chilly still, but the cavern looked like it went pretty deep.

"H-hello?" Mark's call echoed against the walls. He looked around and kept exploring. "Um, g-giant? Or, sir?" Mark sighed. _I'm an idiot._ He glanced at the entrance. His friends were waiting for him out there, and it was only thanks to the giant that he could be reunited with them. He had to thank him!

Mark sighed quietly and kept looking around at the darkness, hoping to glimpse those two crystal blue eyes. "Um, I-I just wanted to say thank you," he stammered. "But-but then you ran away. I'm not-I don't understand why, but... I'm sorry if I made you feel threatened, somehow." Mark looked up at the ceiling. Countless stalagmites glittered coldly like pointy swords.  _Should I even be in here? What if he feels threatened by me being a dumbass and walking into his home?_ Mark opened his mouth to say more when someone else suddenly shouted loudly.

"Watch out!" Too late, Mark looked down and saw the yawning darkness in front of him. His foot broke the cliff edge before he could stop walking, and gravity gave a mighty yank on Mark's body as he lost his balance. He fell over with a scream. _I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot!_  Mark closed his eyes and braced for impact. But, before he could hit the ground, something dived under him, and he landed on a soft, familiar surface that broke his fall. Mark choked on the air and struggled to get his breath back. When he eventually did, he became conscious of his landing pad and sat up, groaning. He felt the surface under him move.

"A-are you ok?" The words were uttered quietly, and yet the Irish voice still bounced strongly off the cave walls. Mark groaned and smiled weakly.

"I-I'm ok." He looked around and added gratefully, "Thanks to you. That's the second time you've saved my miserable ass." At last second, the giant had managed to jump under Mark and sprawl on his back, allowing Mark to harmlessly land on his stomach. Mark tried to get up, but his legs were too shaky.

"Here." A hand cupped Mark as the giant sat up and looked down at the human. "Why-why did you come here? You could have gotten hurt," he asked. Mark leaned on his thumb and sighed, relieved.

"Well, I never got a chance to thank you before." He smiled. "But now, I guess I need to say thank you for two things." The giant shrugged, looking embarrassed.

"I just did what anybody else woulda done," he mumbled.

"But you saved my life," Mark pointed out. "And you don't even know who I am."

"I know your name," the giant admitted. He used his free hand to run it through his messy hair. "I heard the other humans calling out for you, so I tracked you down and followed yer scent." Mark was impressed.

"Wow, really? In that weather?" He gaped. The giant grinned, looking more confident.

"Yeah! And when I saw you, I knew I couldn't just leave ya there. The others were pretty far away still, and you needed help. So I tried to warm you up. I thought maybe if I left before you woke up though..." Mark shook his head.

"No way. I'm so glad I did though, because I can thank you now." The giant glanced up at the cliff.

"What about your friends? They're probably worried about you." Mark nodded.

"True... But there was no way I was going to just leave without saying my thanks. That's just plain rude!" The giant smiled, and then he frowned.

"You ok? Yer shaking." Mark looked at his hand and saw that he was, indeed, shivering. "Come here." The giant held Mark to his chest and wrapped his jacket around the human. Mark sighed.

"That feels good," he murmured. Then he frowned and shook his head, pulling away. "Thank you, but I left my friends out there in the wind. They're probably colder than me, so I can't just be selfish. But thank you." The giant's eyes got big and round; He had never met a human who cared more about his friends than himself.

"Ok." He stood up and lifted Mark up the cliff. "Well, here ya go then." Mark stepped off and turned around. The cliff was only level with the gargantuan man's chest, giving Mark a really good idea of just how huge the giant was. But he still grinned up at him.

"Uh, before I go," he said, "Can I ask what your name is?"

"Oh! Sure, it's Sean, but you can call me Jack." Jack held his smallest finger out, and Mark shook it with a goofy grin.

"Well, Jack, thank you," he laughed.

"Mmhmm!" Jack beamed as Mark let go of the handshake and stepped back.

"Will I ever see you again?" He wondered out loud. The giant shrugged.

"Depends. Do you live here?" Mark shook his head.

"I live in America. Los Angeles, to be precise." Jack's smile fell.

"Oh..." Mark looked around the cave, then back at Jack.

"Is that why you live here? Because you don't like people?" Jack shook his head.

"No, I do, it's just..." he sighed. "You're the only one who hasn't run away from me..." Mark frowned.

"Oh... Jack..." Jack shook his head and put his arms on the cliff.

"It's ok. Just go," he muttered. "Go back to yer friends, they're waiting for ya." Mark looked at the despondent giant helplessly.

"J-Jack-" Jack shook his head and put his forehead on his arms.

"Just go before I hurt you too." Mark stared at the giant.  _He looks sad... maybe it's been a while since he's had anyone to talk to._  But Mark wanted to respect Jack, and he didn't want to anger him.

"Ok..." Mark backed away. "It-It was nice meeting you," he said. Jack didn't answer. Mark sighed and turned around, walking away. But it didn't feel right. As he walked out of the cave, the human heard Jack sniffle, and his heart broke. But he had to go home.

 He didn't know what he could do to help the Irish giant.

 


	19. Snowstorm (Jack and Mark) (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at home, Mark is still worrying about how bad he left things with Jack when he gets a startling surprise within his very own city.

"Are you ok, Mark?" Amy suddenly asked. Mark snapped out of his trance and looked around.

"Huh?" He was in the living room, playing a game with his beloved girlfriend- except his character had the Game Over screen now.

"You kind of just stared off into space." Amy nodded at the screen. "That's the first time I have ever beat you at this." A hot flash of embarrassment overwhelmed Mark.

"Oh. I'm sorry..." He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I didn't get much sleep last night." Amy put her controller down.

"You haven't been sleeping well ever since the climbing trip. Is everything ok?" Mark looked at her. He hadn't told the others about Jack, not entirely at least. The best excuse he had come up with was that Jack did saved his life, but was very shy and not much of a socializer. But he never told them that the Irishman was a giant. And ever since that expedition, Mark couldn't stop thinking about him. They hadn't parted on the best of terms. He kept wondering what he could have done to help Jack, what he could have done to make things better.  _He was just so lonely... the poor guy..._

"Mark?" Mark blinked and realized he was doing it again. He blushed.

"I'm so sorry." He pushed his bangs out of his eyes. "Do you really want to know? I don't know if you'd believe me..." Amy put her hand on Mark's knee and smiled.

"Try me." So Mark told her. He told her how Jack saved his life, not once but twice, and then he explained who he was. Amy listened; at first her eyes had grown wide, but now she was frowning. "Poor thing," she murmured when Mark was done. "He must be pretty lonely out there in the mountains, all by himself." Mark nodded.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner, but it didn't feel right to say something like that out in the open." Amy nodded and squeezed his hand.

"It's ok. I understand." Mark sighed and closed his eyes, tired. "How about you go get some rest?" Amy advised. Mark looked at the tv.

"What about you?" Amy kissed his cheek.

"I need to get some groceries anyway. You just go on and sleep. You need it." Mark hummed tiredly, agreeing.

"All right." He watched Amy get up and leave to grab her things. "Be careful," he told her as she walked past.

"I will." Mark watched her go, and then he got up and put the game up. He then changed the channel to the news, sat back on the couch and closed his eyes. With a yawn, he let his mind drift as the tv droned on. He thought about the mountain trip again. He couldn't get his mind off it, all he could think about was how sad Jack was.  _What could I have done to help him?_ He asked himself.  _I couldn't have, could I? He lives there, and I live here, in Los Angeles. There's no way I could have helped him... right?_

"Today is actually going to be a Christmas miracle!" The news reporter laughed. "It's going to be a little cooler today, with some rain all afternoon. In fact, I think it's raining right now." Mark opened his eyes and looked at the window. Sure enough, it was starting to drizzle.  _Rain in LA, huh?_ Mark smiled a little.  _I'll take it._ He let his cheek rest on the arm rest and closed his eyes again.

"Thanks Amelia. Today is definitely an interesting day. This morning there was an explosion at the Tech Corp." Mark opened one eye. Then both shot wide open. "Quite a few buildings were devastated, but people are working to save lives as we speak." In one of the buildings that they were showing, there was a large hand-shaped depression. Mark stared at it. ...  _That's not normal. That's a handprint! And the Tech Corp is here in Los Angeles!_ He got up and grabbed his hoodie and pulled the hood over his head. He ran to the garage and saw that Amy had taken the car.  _Damn it._ He went back out and locked the door, ducked his head and started running on the sidewalks.

When he made it to the place of incidence, he looked around. Ambulances and people were all around, and there were some witnesses talking to the police. Mark kept his head down and walked closer. "It was huge," a woman was saying through tears. "It hit those buildings like they were nothing! It ran away before the police came though." The policeman nodded.

"Can you describe it for me, ma'am?" She nodded.

"I-it looked like a man, but-but he was really big." Mark's eyes widened. _Jack. It had to be. Did he lie? Does he actually live here and not the mountains?_ Mark shook his head and walked away.  _No, he wouldn't do that. Maybe it's another giant_. Mark stopped at the caution tape and studied the broken street. There were large footprints that covered the broken rock, and he noticed that they led away from the city.

"Hmm..." He turned and followed the prints. They led through some blocks, and then into a reserved forest. Mark looked back at the devastated building, and then he turned and walked into the forest. There weren't very many animals chirping in the woods. Branches were broken off in a wide, visible path, and the dirt was overturned from the giant footprints. Mark squinted and skirted the path as the rain got heavier. Soon, it was pouring a record high, and Mark could barely see into the deep forest.

Mark sighed and stopped.  _I should go home. It's getting late, and I don't need Amy to worry._ He turned to start walking back when a branch suddenly snapped behind him. He quickly turned. There was nothing there. Mark bit his lip and ventured a step.

"Hello?" He called. Something growled in the bushes. Mark narrowed his eyes, straining to see, and then they widened. He took a step back as a figure rose out of the shadows and emerged. Water dripped all over it; its eyes glowed in the rain, and its teeth bared threateningly. Mark backed away. It was a giant- but it wasn't Jack.

As soon as the giant growled, Mark turned and ran. It roared and thundered after him, and his heart thrashed in his breast.  _Definitely not Jack!_ He fled through the trees, hoping to throw the giant off his ass.  _Did it work?_ He stopped and listened. He could hear the giant growling in the distance, but he realized something else: He didn't know where he was.

 _Shit!_  Mark tried to find the path again, but he tripped over a tree root and fell, hitting his head. "Ow!" As he got up, holding his head in his hand, he heard something rumble right behind him. He froze and held his breath, then he slowly looked up- and his eyes grew very wide.

"J-Jack?" The Irish giant's eyes were narrow, and his lips were peeled back in wary aggression. But as he soon as he saw Mark, his countenance dropped, and his eyes widened.

"Mark?" The trees behind him suddenly came crashing down. Mark yelped and ducked on the ground as Jack turned around. It was the giant chasing Mark. It panted and glared at the two acquaintances with narrow, burning eyes, and as soon as it saw Jack standing between it and its prey, it snarled. Mark quivered and looked at the giant, but then his vision was blocked by Jack's leg.

"Get away from him." Jack's eyes seemed to burn brighter as he glared at the beast. The feral roared challengingly, and Jack's lips pulled back in a soundless snarl. He too roared, and then the mindless giant charged. Mark shrieked and ran out of the way as Jack was slammed to the ground, and the giant's glowing eyes settled on him. Mark screamed as the giant reached out to grab him, but Jack pushed its arm away and elbowed its stomach. It choked and backed away, giving Jack a chance to get up and crouch in front of Mark.

Jack roared again in their language, something Mark couldn't understand, but he didn't like the sudden look of rage on the feral's face. It bellowed and charged again, tackling Jack like a cat. Jack grunted as he flipped on his side and threw the other colossal away, his back inches away from Mark. Mark was breathing heavily, but he wasn't even the one fighting. Jack got up on his hands and knees, towering over Mark as he glared at the beast. Mark shook rain water out of his hair and watched as the other giant got up and hissed at his big buddy.

"I-I'm sorry!" Mark squeaked. "I-I never meant to go in your territory, if that's what--" Jack put his hand in front of Mark and nudged him further away from the feral. The giant growled at the Irish giant, and Jack's eyes widened.

"How did you-" then he narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth. "I don't care!" He snapped at the feral, "You're not touching a hair on him!" Mark looked at the two giants with wide eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. The feral roared and suddenly moved, body slamming Jack. Mark shrieked again, then cursed at himself for being so helpless.

"Jack!" He cried. Jack sat up and shook his head, dazed. The feral beast turned to Mark again and growled, reaching out for him again. Jack muttered and shook his head again, and then he snarled and tackled the giant again. Mark jumped away and fell on his back, covered in mud and rain. The feral roared and bit down on Jack's arm. Jack yowled and pushed it away, then blocked it with his back and shoulder slammed. It reeled back, rolling, as Jack clutched his arm to his chest and shuddered in pain.

The feral giant rumbled, and Jack shot it a glare. "I'm not the one risking our existence!" He exclaimed, "Yer the one who destroyed those buildings, and in one of the largest human cities! What were you thinking!?" The giant growled and looked at Mark again. Mark blinked.  _Was it... looking for me?_  Jack growled. "I told ye already, he's not a threat to us!" He insisted. "He won't tell the others." The feral huffed and sat down, looking at Mark again. Mark trembled and went over to Jack, pressing against his hand. Jack looked down at Mark and rumbled; the feral rumbled back.

"You haven't told anybody about us, right Mark?" Mark looked up at Jack. Despite his bold tone, his large blue eyes betrayed his fear.  _I only told Amy... but she can be trusted._ Mark looked at the feral beast and nodded.

"I haven't told anyone. As far as my friends know, I was rescued by a human, native to the mountains." He dipped his head. "The giants' secret is safe with me," he promised. The feral relaxed. Mark heard Jack sigh in relief as it got up and left, disappearing in the rainy forest. Mark smiled in relief and slumped against Jack's arm. Jack shivered and lay down with a groan, pulling Mark closer.

"I'm so sorry you got dragged into this," he muttered, "Are you ok little duder?" Mark shook his head.

"Never mind me, are you ok?" He demanded. Jack glanced at the bite on his arm; it was bleeding. He shrugged.

"I'll live." He grinned cheekily at Mark, making the small man smile a little.

"What the hell are you doing here, anyway?" His smile dropped.

"Oh. Um." Jack turned over on his hands and knees. Mark climbed off and looked up at the giant, out of the rain under him. "I wanted to see you, actually," the Irish giant admitted.

"Really?" Surprise and delight stirred in Mark's breast. "You-you wanted to see me?" Jack nodded; his cheeks were turning red in embarrassment.

"Of course, I didn't mean to wind up almost killing ya." Mark shook his head and smiled.

"It's ok." He looked in the direction the other giant had left. "So... who was that?" Jack shrugged it off.

"Just someone. He wasn't happy that a human knew about us." Jack's blue eyes darkened worriedly. "If humans knew about us, then they'd probably capture us and we'd never be free again." Mark noticed that Jack didn't include him.

"I told my girlfriend," Mark admitted. "But that's because she was worried about me, but-but she'll keep the secret." Jack's eyes focused on the small human again.

"Why was she worried?"

"Because I was worried about you," Mark confessed. "You seemed upset..." Jack tucked his chin and thought for a few seconds.

"Ye could have just forgotten about me..." He said quietly. Mark's jaw dropped.

"What!?" He waved his arms. "How could I forget about you! You saved my life, and- and-" Mark shook his head and suddenly blurted, "And you know what? You're my friend, and friends don't forget each other!" Jack's eyes got very big and round.

"... F-friend?"

"Yes!" Mark didn't stop himself. "Friends look out for each other, and how many times have you saved me, huh? Friends do things for each other, but I haven't gotten a chance to help you..." Jack smiled as tears shone in his eyes, and he rubbed Mark's head.

"By saying that... you are helping me, Mahrk." He leaned over and hugged Mark to his chest. Mark accepted it, feeling the giant's chest shake with a happy sob. He smiled and pat his arm.

"It's ok big guy. Just let it out..." A ray of sunlight suddenly pierced the clouds. They both looked up to see that it had finally stopped raining, and the clouds were dissipating. Jack's eyes widened.

"Hey look, a rainbow!" Mark looked up at Jack and grinned.

"You want to go see if there's any gold at the end of it?" Jack snorted.

"That's just a story! Besides." He looked Mark up and down and laughed, "You look like someone shited on you." Mark scowled.

"Oh yeah? Well- so do you!" Jack laughed and clutched his sides. Then, once he recovered himself, he replied.

"Well, I need to get you home. Yer other pals are probably worried about ya." Mark gasped.

"Oh shit! What's Amy gonna say when she finds me in this state?" He pulled on his shirt's hem and grimaced. "Yuck! I didn't realize there was this much mud on me."

"It's ok, I'll get you back home." Jack offered his hands, and Mark climbed on. He got up and started walking, looking around to make sure there weren't any other humans around. Luckily, the sun was already leaving toward the horizon, and there weren't too many people honking their horns in the city streets. Jack stopped near the edge of the trees and crouched, watching the tiny, bustling people with wide, captivated eyes.

"Will you be staying here?" Mark asked. Jack looked down at him and shrugged.

"Maybe. Not sure yet. The trees are pretty good cover, but there's people all around, and it's a park. I might have to move around and find a better place to hide." He ruffled Mark's messy hair and added, "Hopefully it won't be too far away from Los Angeles." Mark smiled.

"Visit whenever you'd like," he said, "But just put your safety before me, ok? I don't want people to overreact and put you in danger."

"I'll be fine!" Jack hugged his tiny friend again and then set him down. "See ya then, little duder." Mark stepped back and waved, grinning.

"I'll see you in the next one. Bu-bye!"


	20. Old Man Winter (Jack and Mark) (Part 1?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark spends his first Christmas- or, Crystalëmas- on Jack's world.

Mark opened his eyes and shivered. It felt chilly, but he was wrapped up in a sea of blankets, and the heater was on full crank. Beside him, Nate was snoring softly, buried in his own world. And beneath the sea of blankets, Jack's stomach rose and fell as the giant snored without a care in the world. With his body heat, the blankets, the heater, and the closed curtains, it was warm enough for the two humans.

Mark closed his eyes and sighed tiredly. Today would have been Christmas. By now, he and Amy could have set up the silver tree and made each other little gifts. Maybe he could have even found a bone or, if he was really lucky, a nice steak for Chica. Weary made his heart heavy. He missed Earth. While this world was beautiful, it was too big for humans, and it just wasn't home.

Mark looked at the window closest to the couch. It was a bit too high up to look out of, and the curtains blocked his view. But, he could see the freezing air that wafted from the glass like dry ice vapor.  _I bet I could use my grappling hook to get up there._  Mark climbed out of the blankets and shivered. I _t's freezing!_ He checked the temperature and saw that it was currently -10° C outside. He shuddered.  _That's really cold._  But he wanted to see how the rest of the world looked, so he got up, traversed Jack's chest, and climbed up onto the arm rest. His hands fumbled to grab the grappling gun as Mark continued to shiver more violently. The first few times his aim was a bit off, but then he managed to aim true and latch the hook on the shelf.

 _Got ya!_ He jumped off and started climbing up the rope. The higher up he got, the colder and number he felt. Then, finally, he pulled himself onto the ledge and ducked under the curtains, looking outside.

The world was white. Snow covered the ground like a thick blanket, and it was all over the trees and bushes too. Mark let out a slight gasp of awe, seeing his breath billow before his eyes.  _It's beautiful!_ Entranced, he didn't hear the blankets shifting until he heard Jack yawn loudly. He turned and saw the giant carefully pushing the blankets away as he stretched and rubbed his eyes.

"Jack!" Mark whisper shouted. The giant blinked blearily at the room, then looked and saw Mark.

"Mahrk! What are ya doing up there?" He got off the couch and tucked Nate back in, and then went over to Mark. "Yer freezing!" Mark protested as Jack scooped him up and held him to his chest.

"But Jack, Jack! Look!" He pointed at the window. Jack brushed the curtains away and looked outside. He smiled.

"Yeah? It's pretty isn't it?" With a reprimanding glance, he added, "And freezing." Mark pouted.

"I just wanted to see the snow!" He waved his arms, trying to get Jack to put him down.

"Snow's pretty and all, but that doesn't mean you should turn into a popsicle trying to see it!" Jack carried Mark away from the window and put him on the blankets. "Come on, let's get you warmed up." Mark groaned as he was submerged in the soft, warm covers.

"You're not my dad," he grumbled. Jack grinned.

"Shuddup, somebody's gotta take care of ya." While Mark warmed back up to his regular temperature, Jack retreated to the kitchen to brew some coffee. Mark sighed and snuggled the blankets, deciding contently to forgive his gargantuan friend, as Felix walked in.

"It's fucking freezing!" He said loudly, making Mark jump.

"Felix! Shush. Nate's still asleep," Jack hissed, "And Mat too, I bet."

"Not anymore." The young brunette walked into the living room with a tired yawn. "Is Nate really still sleeping?" He asked sleepily.

"He won't be by now, I'm sure." Mark looked at Nathan. He was still curled up in the blankets, fast asleep.  _Poor guy. He probably didn't get much sleep. But he won't get any with their racket._ Mark waded through the covers and touched his shoulder, about to wake him up, only to pull back sharply with a gasp.

"Jack! He's burning up!"

"What!?" With no time wasted, Mat rushed to the couch, quickly followed by Jack and then Felix. Mat touched Nate's forehead and blanched.

"Nate? Nate, buddy." He gently nudged the small man. Nate mumbled in his sleep and batted the air.

"Cristina, no, five more minutes," he muttered whisperly. Mark felt frozen. He was pulled away by Jack as Felix crouched beside Mat and looked at the human.

"He's got a fever." Mark strained to see over Jack's hand. Felix had a dark look as he continued to examine Nate. "Mat, can you open his mouth?" Mat carefully pried Nate's jaws open, and Felix grabbed a flashlight and shined it in his mouth, and then he shook his head. "He has the Chïlá," Felix sighed.

"The Chïlá?" Mat looked agitated. Mark pushed on Jack's thumb.

"What's the Chïlá?" He demanded. Jack bit his lip.

"It's a pretty rocky sickness you can get commonly in the winter."

"Oh." Mark looked back at Nate. "Like influenza?" Jack shrugged.

"Well, there's fever, chills, weak muscles, sore throat, nausea, severe dehydration, fatigue... that kind of stuff."

"That sounds really bad." Mat cupped his hands under Nate, cradling his body.

"He's really warm," he said quietly. He looked at Felix. "Do you have any medicine for him?" Felix nodded.

"Probably. But I'll have to measure out the right amount." He looked at Mark and added, "I should probably give you a vaccine, too. I didn't know humans could catch it." Mark nodded.

"Just take care of Nate first." Felix nodded.

"Come on, Mark." Jack gently nudged the engineer. "How about some nice and warm coffee?" Grumbling, Mark let Jack pick him up and carry him away from the others. Mark got one last look over Jack's hand to see Nate was still unconscious, and Mat looked really worried. He sighed and sat, slumping against his giant pal's hand. Jack looked down at him.

"He'll be ok." He rubbed Mark's head and mussed his floofy hair. Mark grunted, not bothering to pull away.

"You know me," he sighed, "I'm a worry wart." He shivered. Jack moved his thumb up against Mark's side, and the engineer wrapped his arms around it.

"He'll be ok, I think," Jack said. Then he choked on his words. "I-I mean, it's not lethal," he stammered, "Not to a giant, at least. But then again... the Carar..."

"Hey." Mark smiled up at him and puffed his chest out. "I survived that, didn't I?" He asked haughtily. Jack chuckled.

"I guess ya did." He turned to the coffee machine and got himself a mug of freshly brewed coffee. He inhaled some of the delicious vapors wafting from it, then he sighed and looked around the kitchen for something that could suffice as a cup for Mark.

"I mean, I only survived thanks to you and Felix," Mark continued, "But Nate has you guys, and Mat, so I think he'll be just fine."

"Yer right." Jack struggled to pour himself a large serving of coffee and also fill a bottle cap for Mark. Mark fidgeted in his occupied hand and sighed.

"You can put me down now," he said, "I'm not cold anymore, and you look like you're struggling." Jack muttered under his breath and put the mug down.

"Fiiine!" Instead, he lifted Mark up and put the engineer on his disheveled head, and then continued working.

"..." Mark sighed loudly but said no more. Jack gave his coffee a cheeky grin as he finished preparing it, and then carried them over to the table. Mark looked and saw that Felix was wearing his doctor stuff as he did whatever doctors did on this planet. Mat was standing at the side, pacing, with a deep frown creasing his countenance. He was on the phone, talking to someone about Nate's condition.

"Yeah, I know Steph. It's really bad." Mat sighed and shook his head. "No, I don't know when we'll be back, I gotta- I gotta make sure Nate's ok." He took an interest in the floor. "Just tell them I'm sick then. Tell them I have the Chïlá." He nodded. "Thanks. Yeah, I miss you too." He suddenly smiled. "Yes, I'll try to bring him home in one piece. Come on! Don't you know me by now?" He laughed. "Hey! That's not what I meant!"

Mark smiled. Well I'm glad Stephanie is making him feel better. If anyone ever has to, she sure can. And that reminded Mark of Amy. He sighed. I miss her. I wonder what she's doing? His musing was interrupted by a gentle shake of Jack's head.

"Hey, Jackaboy to Markimoo! You copy?" Mark had to grab a strand of Jack's wild green hair to save himself from slipping.

"I almost wasn't!" He chided. Jack chuckled and reached up for him.

"Sorry, but ye didn't reply otherwise." He let Mark onto the table. "Here." He pushed the full cap to the small engineer. "Just try not to bounce off the walls." Mark scowled.

"Oh, I'll be sure to leave lots of holes."

 

 

 

(I'm too lazy right now to do some insidious bullshit for a flashback, or something, so use your clever mind here to come up with some kind of winter puns, just  ** _snow_** inappropriate ones, ok?  


	21. Pocket Pal (Mark and Jack)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain Irish borrower decides to hitch a ride in Mark's pocket on a freezing winter day to escape the cold.

Jack had never been so cold in all his life. California was usually a warm and dry place to call home, but of course the one day that the Irish borrower had to emigrate, the storm of ice and wind that was on the news was now boring down on Los Angeles. So while the humans were smart and staying indoors, Jack was outside, fighting to stay balanced as he faced the wind.

There were still many cars, and the occasional person bundled up in multiple layers, but otherwise the streets were wide open. But the lack of people and shelter was starting to piss him off. He finally stopped behind a trash can to take a break from the wind. "Th-the next p-p-person I s-see," he muttered to himself, "I'm hitching a-a ride!" He was sick of the cold. He was sick of not feeling his hands and feet, and he had about enough of this god-forsaken wind. It made the city too lifeless, too cold.  _Goddamn wind_. He huddled miserably and tried to breathe warmth back into his hands.

Then he heard crunching footsteps. He looked up and saw a young man wrapped in jackets and a scarf. _Should I?_ He wondered. He was only joking when he said what he did, but... He got up and folded his arms to retain body heat.  _He wouldn't notice if I just hop on. But it's risky..._  But what choice did the tiny have? He shook his head and took a deep breath, only to cough. The air was so cold.  _I don't have any other options. I gotta do it._ He braced himself as the man came closer, and then to his surprise something tumbled out of his jacket.

"Oops." The man stopped and reached down for his phone. "Shit," he cursed, "Did it crack?" He turned it over and checked the screen.  _Now's my chance!_ Jack took off. He ran and jumped onto the man's shoe, and he grabbed the laces as the human shoved his phone back in his pocket and continued walking. Just a few steps in, and Jack already felt sick. I gotta get higher. He looked up the man's leg and sighed. As his foot came down, Jack jumped and grabbed onto his pantleg, about half way up his shin.

Jack exhaled and climbed up, trying to not think about how dangerous his situation was. But at least the man had a lot of layers on; he couldn't feel the borrower scaling his person, and Jack could feel the human's body heat. He sighed nervously and pulled himself up, tipping into the jeans pocket and pushing his cold tiny body inside. Heat washed over the frozen borrower. He gasped.  _It's so warm!_ Peace enveloped him. He relaxed and worked his way to the bottom of the pocket. It was a tight fit, but Jack was ok with it. For now.

He looked around at the items he was accompanied by. The phone was one thing. There were also keys, which Jack reminded himself to be careful around; he didn't want to cut himself. There was a candy wrapper, and a small pen. When Jack pushed the top of the pen down, it suddenly shined a bright light at the end, making him jump.  _Ok, pen and flashlight,_ Jack told himself.  _Great._ He looked around some more and pushed a button on the phone. It lit up, blinding the borrower again. He cursed and let his eyes adjust, and then saw a picture of the man hugging a dog. He smiled.

"Aww." He swiped his hand across the screen, and he was brought to the main menu. Technology was so amazing. It was Jack's one weakness to humans- well, that and food. But tech like this was just so... fascinating. How could a tiny rectangle hold someone's life story? How could a black box let people watch riveting stories from other places in the world? Jack studied the screen and noticed a red square with a white triangle. It was as big as his hand; pressed it. It opened up on to a white page labelled "YouTube" and had more smaller screens on it.

"Interesting," Jack murmured. He had almost completely forgotten about the human now. He pressed the little white magnifying glass icon, and a keyboard came up. Now he was captivated. He pushed some of the buttons, and then touched the enter key. More "videos" popped up, and Jack had a child's grin on. He touched the top one, and then when it loaded, the picture came up, and soft piano music began to play. Jack hummed and nodded his head to the sweet keys. He closed his eyes and smiled; the notes became colourful swirls in the darkness of his mind, illuminating it and playing the gentle melody. His head drooped; he slumped against the pocket wall, and before he could realize the danger, his conscience drifted from his body.

 

 

 

 

Mark was hoping he wasn't too late as he walked up to the front door. He told Amy he was only going to be out for half an hour; it had been almost an hour.  _She's probably worried sick._  He dug through his pockets, searching for his keys, when he suddenly realized two things: His phone was on. He took it out and looked at it. It was playing piano music accompanied by rain sounds, for some reason. Mark frowned.

"The hell?" But there was something else. Something else that his mind couldn't dismiss. Again, he reached into his pocket. There it was. There was something small and warm inside. It felt heavier than its size, but it also felt fragile. Mark carefully pulled it out and held his hand out flat, taking a look. His heart jumped in his breast, and he stood there staring dumbly. Curled in the center of his palm lay a tiny person.

"Whoa." He stared for a few seconds, and then he slowly touched the borrower. Jack frowned in his sleep and shifted, turning over and nuzzling Mark's hand.  _Who are_ you _?_  Mark asked in his mind. He realized the tiny was shivering and looked around. Then he took out his keys, unlocked the door and hurried inside.

"Mark!" Amy jumped from the couch as a Labrador ran up to Mark. Mark grinned and crouched down, giving her a pet. Then he stood and met the blonde woman in an amorous hug. "What happened?" Amy worried, "Where were you?"

"I got lost," Mark admitted, putting on a guilty smile. Amy laughed nervously, hugging him tightly.

"I'm just glad you're ok. I was worried, the storm..." Her voice trailed. Mark kissed her head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you." Amy sighed.

"Just sit down. I'll make you something warm." She sat him down and hurried off to the kitchen. She never even stopped to see what Mark held in his hand. Mark sighed and looked down at Jack. He sighed again; the tiny was still asleep. He set Jack down on a blanket, and then he worked on taking off his extra layers as Amy returned with a mug in her hands.

"Here." She passed it to Mark.

"Thank you." He blew the steam and took a sip. It was perfect. He sighed pleasantly and drank some more, while Amy brushed his messy bangs out of his face.

"You need a shower," she remarked humorously. Mark scowled playfully and continued drinking. She kissed his forehead. "Chica sure missed you." Mark looked down. The sweet Labrador sat at his feet, wagging her tail and giving him a toothy smile. He smiled back and rubbed her ears fondly.

"It's nice to know  _somebody_ missed me," he chuckled. Amy booped him on the nose, and they both laughed.

"I'll take care of these for you." She stooped down and collected his discarded winter clothes.

"Oh, no you don't have to!" He tried to protest. "I can-" but Amy waved her hand and carried them off. Mark sighed and beamed at her retreating back. "Love you!" He yelled.

"Everyone does," came her playful reply. Mark giggled and looked at his hot cocoa. He sipped some, and then his eyes wandered to little Jack. The borrower had unceremoniously bundled up in the blanket, and he was splayed awkwardly in the folds. Mark smothered a giggle and lowered his mug. _Aww. He's cute, wherever he came from._  He looked around for his phone and pushed it closer to the borrower. The melody was still quietly playing, and that seemed to make Jack relax even more. Mark smiled. _Hopefully, when he wakes up, I can talk to him. Maybe find out what he was doing in my pocket._ His smile got bigger as he thought of something cute. _He's my pocket pal now, how cute!_ He shook his head at his bad sense of humor and let his smile eventually drop.  _But seriously... Where did you come from, little guy?_

There were questions he needed to be answered...

Mark sighed. He shouldn't let himself get carried away. The tiny was bundled up in a cloth jacket, and had made a visible effort to try and prepare for the cold week.  _So maybe he got into my pocket because he was cold._ Mark drank his cocoa.  _Maybe he didn't have anywhere else to go? I'm huge compared to him, he's infinitesimal, so he probably wouldn't have come anywhere near me unless he had no other choice. Or maybe I'm just flattering myself._ Mark sighed and slouched. He'd have to wait until Jack woke up, before his curiosity could be sated.


	22. Pocket Pal (Mark and Jack) (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark attempts to connect with Jack and get the borrower to trust him.

Jack initially thought he was sleeping on a cloud, in a warm sky where there wasn't icy frost or chilly wind. He felt so comfortable, and he hadn't felt this warm or cozy in a good while. A part of him didn't want to wake up, not yet, but his eyes slowly opened. He yawned and turned over, snuggling the blanket that was wrapped around him. In the sea of warmth, he was so tempted to go back to sleep.

But something kept him from that. He frowned and opened his eyes again. It was brighter than the Irish borrower remembered. He yawned and sat up, taking the time to rub his eyes and pop his back before he took in his surroundings. He wasn't in any borrowing home, and he wasn't in the human's pocket anymore. He was on a large, comfortable bed, and the bedroom window allowed low rays of sunlight to beam happily inside.

Jack's eyes widened. How did I get here? His skin crawled at the thought of a human touching him without him even being aware of it. Oh shit. He shivered and clutched his covers, looking around suspiciously.

"What am I gonna do?" He murmured. I need to get out of here! His heart was already hammering in his chest, and adrenaline was helping him get wide awake. But as he started to get out of the covers, the door he didn't notice was closed suddenly started to open. Jack gasped and dove under the blanket, hiding in the darkness and waiting anxiously. Footsteps made their way in, coming closer, and closer. He heard a small murmur of confusion, and then the air temperature suddenly spiked up at an alarming rate. No more than a few seconds later, a weight settled on top of the borrower. Jack froze. The weight shifted, moving around like it was looking for him, and the tiny decided with a tremble that it was only the human's hand.

But he didn't anticipate the covers being peeled off of him. Jack gasped and shook. He was so cold, he didn't want it! He tried to cope with the sudden drop in temperature, but when he looked up, he saw the upside down face of the human looking down at him. As soon as he met Mark's gaze, the man's eyes lit up with relief.

"There you are." Jack shook even more violently. Holy hell, his voice is so fucking deep! Mark laid the covers behind Jack and crouched down, putting his arms up on the bed. Jack shuddered and tried to reach for the covers, but they were just out of reach. Mark frowned. "Oh, are you cold?" Jack winced again as hands came for him. "Sorry," Mark murmured, "I didn't realize that was what you were doing." Jack felt his stomach drop as the hands passed over him, but they grabbed the blanket and pulled the edge of it right up to the frightened borrower. Jack snatched the lip of it up and pulled it around him, seeking comfort. The hands rested behind him though, ringing around his backside and cupping the air supportively. Jack shook, giving them a fearful glance.

"Is that better?" Jack turned his attention to the human. There wasn't any wicked malice in his eyes, from what Jack could see; he was pretty good at reading people. And his hands were throwing off some body heat, which Jack refused to admit felt kind of nice out loud. He stared at Mark for a little bit, trying to get a good reading on the human. Is he going to hurt me? Is he mad that I got in his pocket, or used his phone? Humans could get pretty possessive of their belongings. It was what made borrowing so dangerous. Another thought made Jack feel colder than anything: What is he going to do with me?

Mark frowned. The poor tiny looked so petrified, and he wasn't talking. Maybe he can't understand me. Maybe I'm hallucinating, even. He shook that idea quickly out of his skull. No, this is a real person, and he's probably just scared. I don't blame him. Mark tried smiling. "Is that better?" He repeated, asking gently. He saw the borrower quiver under his powerful voice, and his heart went out to the tiny Irishman. Just keep calm, he tried to tell himself. Keep calm, don't scare him. He scares easily, just give him some time and let him know you're not a bad guy. "Um..." Mark realized like a slap in the face that he was probably too close for Jack's comfort, so he slowly started to move his hands away. But Jack made a noise and hugged the covers tightly, making Mark pause. Communication was the crucial key in this situation.

"It's ok," he murmured. "I'm just- I'm just giving you your space." Jack watched disbelievingly as the human pulled away and sat against the wall, on the floor. Shock quickly wore off as the cold's icy claws gripped him again, and he shivered feebly. Mark watched as Jack tried to snuggle up in the covers again, but the harmony of earlier had been lost. He was too scared to settle back down, but he didn't want to go outside of this room, let alone the house.

He's still cold. Mark pulled his phone out and texted Amy, hoping she would turn up the thermostat for him. Jack stopped what he was trying to do and watched Mark warily. Any sign of movement the human made could spell out his demise. But the human simply fiddled on his phone for a couple of seconds, and then put it on the floor beside him and put his arms on his knees.

"So, what's your name?" The question threw Jack completely off guard. Mark watched his startled expression, confused. Was it something I said? He wondered. Then more worries started to spill in, while Jack struggled to keep down to earth. My name? Why is he asking my name? No "What are you?"? No "Why are you stealing from me?"? I mean, all I did was hitch a ride in his pocket, but still! Why is he asking me for my name? Why does he care? Humans don't usually care. They just squish first and ask questions later. The horror stories Jack's parents always told him started pouring in, making him worry even harder.

Mark was pretty sure he fucked it up. He bit his lip, feeling the seconds drag on in silence. Then, he heard the air conditioning come on, and felt another glimmer of hope as the air gradually warmed up a small bit. Thanks Amy, he thought. Maybe the borrower was just uncomfortable. Maybe he doesn't have any idea how I feel about this situation, and he's scared because it's unknown. I can understand that, but... I don't want to hurt him. Why would I? Maybe he could try music. Mark reached for his phone, aware of Jack's sharp little blue eyes on him as he slowly picked it up and went for the YouTube app. He scrolled and found some relaxing music, and he let it play. Mark immediately wanted to look up to see the borrower's reaction, but he reminded himself at last second to keep his movements slow and respectful. He took a breath and slowly looked up. The borrower was staring at him still. Mark managed to smile, nervously.

"I-I thought maybe it'd help you relax," he whispered. He hoped whispering would help, and to his relief the borrower didn't jump at his voice. Jack shivered. Mark's voice was still bone-chillingly deep, but it didn't startle him this time. Instead, it seemed to bring about a spark of warmth in his core. The borrower already found the tension in his shoulders slackening, but he didn't know if that was good or bad yet. They spent a little while longer in silence, just sitting as the music played quietly. It was getting uncomfortable for Jack. Every second passing, he could feel the human's gaze on him, and it felt like someone had reached under his skin and was trying to tickle him from the inside. It was a funny feeling, being seen by a human. He shivered and clutched the covers.

It was starting to get unbearable when Mark finally said something. "So, um... No name?" He tried again. "Should I just call you Little Fella?" Jack glared nervously at the gargantuan man. "No? Hmm... What about Midget? Gnome? Uh, Munchkin?" Mark snapped his fingers, making Jack jolt. "Leprechaun!" He exclaimed, grinning at the borrower. "I'll just call you a leprechaun." Jack glared some more, but that only made the human giggle. His brow twitched, betraying his confusion, and his scowl was soon disarmed. Jack was befuddled now; this human was very strange. "So if you're not a leprechaun," Mark said after he got over his fit of laughter, "Then what am I suppose to call you?" Jack was aware that sooner or later, he would have to talk. Come on, pull yourself together! He scolded.

"U-um..." Jack mentally slapped himself. What are you, a mouse? Come on! It's simple, just talk like normal, just pretend he's your size, just a nice, friendly conversation. He totally isn't going to pick you up, or... or kill you. Jack averted his eyes and looked down, taking an interest in the blanket. "Uh, m-my-my name's J-Jack," he mumbled. He immediately winced at his own voice. Great job, dumbass. Now he knows for sure you're scared. He felt his breathing hitch as his fantasy escalated. Mark could do whatever he wanted with Jack, and the borrower wouldn't be able to even put up a fight! He wasn't strong enough to resist any muscle in Mark's gargantuan, powerful body. The human could overcome him without a second thought, and Jack could do nothing, absolutely nothing to stop him.

"Jack, huh?" But Mark was smiling at the tiny. He was relaxed; no muscles were tensed to unexpectedly strike or anything. "That's a cool name. I actually don't know anybody with that name- at least, until now." He suddenly got up and moved closer to the bed. Jack recoiled, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the worst. But, when nothing happened, he opened his eyes and saw that Mark was holding his pinky finger out toward him. Jack stared at it, confused as the human continued. "You can call me Mark," Mark said. Jack continued to stare, and Mark turned red with a slight embarrassment. "Oh, you shake it," he explained quickly, "You know, like a handshake?" Jack felt a flood of embarrassment as well for not realizing sooner. But touching a human willingly? Jack felt a shiver go down his spine. But it'd be rude to leave the human hanging. He had seen handshakes before: Apparently it was some sort of friendly gesture, but that didn't make Jack feel any better in this situation.

Jack swallowed, trying to steel his nerves before he slowly reached out to grab the end of Mark's finger. I'm a big boy, yep. Big boy, big boy- His eyes widened as he made contact. The human's skin felt strange, like leather, but with a still odd texture. Not only that, but it was only a small part of the human's body, and yet waves of heat pulsed from it, warming Jack's cold hands. He felt Mark move a little too at his light touch and sucked in a sharp breath. Jack shivered and quickly moved, hugging the human's finger to his chest. Again, his breathing fell out of pattern. The unfamiliar aura of comforting warmth flooded him, coursing through his cold body and soothing his chilled bones. He relaxed exponentially, but started to shiver.

Mark watched the little borrower with wide eyes, and lips parted in awe. Watching and feeling the borrower interact with his smallest finger was really a blow of reality. In a mind crushing sense of realization, Mark had suddenly understood just how small the borrower was, and just how fragile his new acquaintance really was. It was pretty chilling. Then he realized that Jack was shivering, and awe was replaced by sympathy.

"Are you- are you cold?" He murmured. Tiny, wary blue eyes moved up to meet his. Though Jack was small, Mark could see the emotions going on through the borrower, and he noticed one question in particular coursing through the tiny's mind: Trust, or don't trust? Mark had an idea, but he needed to answer this question first. He swallowed. "Um, h-hey," he said gently, "I can-I can help you, uh, warm up." Jack froze. "But I need you to trust me," Mark continued. "And I get that's a lot to ask of you, and a pretty shitty request for me to make. But I just want to help you." The borrower was immobile. Mark desperately tried to think up some kind of compromise.

"... Look, I'll just explain my idea." He took a deep breath. Don't screw up, don't screw up... "What I'm going to do is lay on the bed, on the other side. I'll let you come up to me, and I can warm you up with my own body heat. If you ever get uncomfortable or too freaked out, you can back up whenever you want to. But if you don't want to," he shrugged, "Then we'll just listen to the music and lay here quietly. You'll be colder than you should be, but if you aren't comfortable with me, I understand." Mark bit his lip. He hoped he sounded a lot more confident than he did. But at the same time, he didn't want to be overbearing.

Jack's mind was in a frenzy. Are you fucking kidding me!? Just walk up to him like he's a log? This guy's goddamn insane! Of course, he was only outraged because he realized that Mark was right. He was cold, very cold, and the human could help him. And he was scared for his life. But, somehow, he found his head moving; he nodded.

Mark smiled and sighed, relieved. He nodded back. "Ok. Ok." He took a breath. "I'm gonna need my finger back though," he said with a chuckle. Jack stiffened when he remembered, and he quickly let go of the human's pinky. Mark kept smiling, keeping a friendly, toothless grin on as he slowly pulled his hand away. Then, he moved away from the bed and rose up to his full height. Jack stared up at him with wide eyes. Holy crap, he's huge! To the borrower, the man before him was a living, breathing, skyscraper of muscle. Mark slowly walked around the bed, keeping his eyes trained on Jack for any signs or subtle hints. Jack simply watched, wary, as Mark walked around to the other side of the large bed. Jack felt the bed sag under him as Mark crawled onto the covers, and he gripped the blanket as Mark lay on his back, draped his arms over his stomach, and closed his eyes.

Jack waited. The only movement from the giant man was his broad chest rising and falling. The Irish borrower looked around nervously. Now he had a choice: Accept help, or refuse it? It seemed simple, but the gravity of the choice would probably change Jack's whole life. Either the human was sincere and helped him, enabling Jack a whole new perspective, or he was lying and would catch the tiny like a rat. Jack shuddered. He felt colder than ever. He couldn't bear it any longer. Maybe he didn't have a choice.


	23. Pocket Pal (Mark and Jack) (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Mark finally find common ground to see eye-to-eye.

He couldn't take it any longer. He sighed and threw the blanket off his shoulders, and he tensed at the chilly air before he walked as fast as he could across the bed. His stride started off strong, but it gradually wavered as he approached the human. Jack hesitated at Mark's shadow, and swallowed. He squared his shoulders, and he stepped into the human's shadow. New, strange noises overcame his senses as he walked closer. He could hear Mark's breath whoosh in his lungs and past his lips; hear his body working; hear his heart booming in his chest... it was daunting.

Jack stopped and stood next to the human's shoulder. He craned his neck and looked up. Mark was still keeping his word. He wasn't even looking, his eyes were still closed, leaving the situation completely in the borrower's hands.  _Jesus... I can't believe I'm doing this._ He walked up to Mark's head, took a moment to realize how much heat was rolling off is acquaintance, and then he bit his lip and reached out. His hands hesitated, quivering, and then he closed his eyes and leaned forward.

As soon as his small, cold hands touched the human's warm neck, Mark inhaled sharply. Jack shivered and moved closer, and then he slowly leaned into the warm curvature. He was ice cold against Mark's life artery, shocking Mark for a few seconds. Then, a warm, glowy sensation spread from his head down to his toes. _He trusted me. He actually trusted me!_ Relief made his fingers and toes tingle, but he refused to budge an inch. Jack had come this far, he didn't want to destroy all the progress they had made.

Jack felt Mark's throat muscles work restlessly. _He's nervous._ They both were. Jack didn't even know why Mark was going so far just to reach out to him, why he was helping him or trying to earn his trust. He wet his lips and slowly breathed in.

"... I-I've never been this close to a human before," he suddenly said quietly. Mark opened his eyes. He wanted so badly to reply, to ask his questions and give the tiny the support he needed, but he didn't want to spook the borrower. So, he simply let out a small hum.

"Hm?"

"Y-yeah." Jack sat down and brought his knees up to his chest. "So, um, you can kinda tell why I'm so nervous then." He let out a dry laugh, but it didn't sound reassured at all. Mark frowned.

"Mm."

"Yeah, but." Jack sighed and shrugged his shoulders, putting his in his knees. "It's not yer fault," he mumbled. Mark's tongue was dying to move now.

"... How come?" He murmured. Jack shrugged again and let his head come back up, resting it on Mark's neck.

"We've never really been close to humans," he said, "Y-you can probably guess why." The words sank in for a few seconds.

"Who's we?" Mark asked quietly. It was an innocent question, but he felt Jack flinch. His heart gave a tiny squeeze of fear, and Jack was surprised to feel his pulse quicken. "S-sorry," Mark stammered, "I-I didn't mean to-"

"It's ok." Jack closed his eyes, thinking for a few seconds. "I'm a borrower," he continued. "We borrow things from big folk to survive." Mark felt another uneasy feeling _. Big folk? Living off of humans? Man, I can't imagine how hard it must be, hiding from us and struggling with every step to survive._  He felt another prickle of guilt.  _It must have taken him so much courage to risk getting into my pocket. He must have been so tired, too..._ He heard Jack stifle a yawn and felt the borrower shift. Jack was reaching down and pulling on the covers, tugging them up into a small wall around his body and making himself a little nest. Mark's eyes wandered to the blanket. Would Jack trust him enough to get up and retrieve it for him? 

He decided to risk it. "Hey, back up real quick?" Jack looked up at him, puzzled, and got up. Mark turned his head as Jack backed up to the center of the bed, and once Mark was comfortable with his tiny guest's location, he slowly sat up. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jack shrink back in his shadow and winced. He carefully reached out, keeping his movements slow and steady as he grabbed the blanket and pulled it over. He lay back down and looked over at Jack. He looked a bit confused. Mark smiled at him.

"I thought maybe you'd want to use this instead of just the covers," he said. Jack's eyes sparked with understanding, and he hurried to the human. He had to climb his way back to his spot, but as soon as he was beside Mark and in the blanket sea, he started working again. Mark smiled as Jack tugged and pulled and straightened and smoothed, working diligently until he had formed a nest of comfort. It took a lot out of the little Irishman, but he looked proud of himself as he slumped in it and leaned against Mark's neck with a loud yawn. "Better?" Mark asked.

"Mm hmm," Jack mumbled sleepily and rubbed his eyes. He pulled up the blanket corner he had saved as a cover and snuggled up to Mark. Mark closed his eyes and smiled. I think he trusts me now. That made him feel good, though he wasn't concerned with his self. He exhaled. Jack hardly reacted.  _He's already asleep? Poor guy. Oh well, at least that meant he was relaxed enough- I hope._

He laid there, alone with his thoughts, as the borrower continued to rest against his neck. By now, he was warming up, but Mark was still worried.  _How warm is he suppose to be? He still feels a little cold. Is he sick? Maybe I'm worrying too much._ Mark sighed. Yesterday he wouldn't have believed in tiny people. And now here he was, fretting over the tiny borrower like he was his oldest friend.  _Can I even call him a-_

"Mark?" Mark opened his eyes as Amy walked in. She stopped and smiled at him. "Are you tired?" She asked.

"Uh." He smiled sheepishly. "Y-yeah, sorry." Amy continued to smile kindly at him.

"Well, I was going to ask how much longer you think those chicken dumplings need to sit." Mark checked his watch. His eyes widened; he had already been with Jack for over an hour.

"Not much longer," he answered. "I'll check on it in just a second." He smiled at Amy again. "Maybe we could watch a movie?" He asked hopefully. Amy beamed.

"Sounds good to me." She closed the door quietly behind her and left. Mark sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Who was that?" The question made Mark jump. He sat up and looked down to see Jack, awake and staring up at him with a sleepy and terrified expression.

"Sorry, sorry." Mark quickly apologized and turned over, crossing his legs. "That was my girlfriend, Amy," he explained. Jack's countenance relaxed, but he still looked nervous. "She's really nice," Mark continued, "She'd probably like you, if you wanted to meet her." Again, a bewildered look crossed over Jack.

"So I don't have to face her?" He asked. Mark slightly winced. He made it sound like a boss fight in Dark Souks.

"No, of course not," He still said, "If you wanna meet her, I can help you, but if you don't, that's ok." He frowned. "But I will have to tell her about you, if you do decide to stay." Once again, Jack gawked at the human. _He'd let me stay? He'd let me go if I wanted to?_ He was flabbergasted. "However," Mark said, "If you do decide to leave, I insist you stay for supper. Chicken dumplings are simply amazing, and I bet you've never had one." He stuck his finger up and waved it. "You haven't lived until you've had my cooking!" He said with a goofy grin. Jack found himself grinning back.

"Well. I-I guess I could stay, just for a little bit." His mind hasn't been made up yet. Who knew what he would choose? He could say yes or no, and he wanted to take some time to enjoy that. No one had ever given him this much respect.

"Great!" Mark beamed and got off the bed. "Oh, how do you want to get to the kitchen? You want to walk? Or maybe I'll hold you? I could put you in my pocket, maybe. Or maybe-" As Mark kept rambling, Jack noticed his hair was very disheveled and laughed. Mark stopped and looked at him, confused. "What's so funny?"

"Yer hair!" Jack cackled, doubling over. Mark looked in the mirror, and then his eyes widened, and he too started laughing.

"Oh gee, thanks Mr. Wise-Guy!" Jack was suddenly struck with an idea.

"Get down here." He groped at the human. Mark smothered his giggles and kneeled, putting his arms on the bed and his chin on his forearms. Jack walked over to him and poked his arm. "Lower," he commanded. Mark gave him a puzzled look, but he went down on his hands and knees. Jack inhaled, backed up a few steps, and then ran and jumped off the bed.

Mark seized up when he felt the borrower land on his head. "Holy shit!" He gasped and reached up, frightened for Jack. But the tiny was ok. The little Irishman flailed until he managed to tear himself free from Mark's floofy hair, and he sat up. Mark let his hands drop and sighed. "Jesus Christ, you scared me Jack!"

"Sorry." Jack tried not to laugh as he touched the black, messy knoll under him. Mark's hair was soft and silky, and the majority of his body heat was escaping from his head, completely encasing the borrower in comforting warmth. He sighed pleasantly, and Mark relaxed under him.

"Well, are you up there to ride me?"

"Yep." Mark chuckled.

"All right then. Hold on to something." Jack grabbed a tuft of hair, and Mark slowly got up. He kept his head still as he turned toward the door, taking a slow step.

"Faster!" Jack urged with a giggle. "Faster!" Mark stopped at the door, and then he grinned.

"Tell ya what. I'll take you on a roller coaster ride if you let me introduce you to Amy."

"... Deal!" Jack decided. Mark chuckled.

"All right then." He opened the door. "Into battle!" He exclaimed dramatically. Jack laughed and held on as Mark headed off to the kitchen.


	24. Blind Spot (Jack and Mark) (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarred by an accident he can't recall, Mark stumbles blindly through a forest until he comes across someone who can help him.

He couldn't see.

Mark couldn't remember what happened, but the trauma still made his hands shake. He'd guess that something horrible happened to him, and that he'd hit his head and now had amnesia with a side of no eyesight. When he first came to, everything had been hurting so badly. It still hurt, though he had only been awake for maybe an hour?

He remembered smelling ash and feeling completely lost. He remembered the disfigured tree he'd walked into like a complete idiot, and he remembered how terrified he'd been. Of course, Mark was still terrified, but he was starting to get a grasp on his emotions. He needed to find help, so wherever there weren't trees, that was the direction Mark had headed. Unfortunately, there was still nothing but the sounds of the forest he was lost in.

Mark shuddered as he felt a cold breeze tug on his dirty clothes. It felt like it was getting dark. The sun's warm glow was fading, and the temperature was dropping. And he still hadn't found civilization! What could he do? Mark bit back the urge to cry. No, that wouldn't get him anywhere. He couldn't cry.

His foot suddenly caught on something, and he fell, hitting the ground. The ground, however, he realized felt different. It was solid and cool. He tapped it. The sound echoed up ahead. It's a cave. A cave was ok shelter. Mark got up and reached around until his hand brushed the side. He followed it into the cavern, and he heard his shallow breath amplified as he went deeper and deeper in. He was shivering now. He tried to look around, turning his head in hopes of seeing the twilight, but nothing. His eyes were still damaged. He swallowed down a smothered cry and turned forward. As he went deeper, hoping to reach the back of the cave, the air began to warm up.

Mark hoped that was good, but it puzzled him. How could it be warm? His clothes weren't good enough, and just because he was out of the wind didn't mean he was warm. As he took another step, his hands suddenly hit something. It was warm and soft, pulsing with heat. Mark gripped the new wall; it felt like fabric. As he turned and followed the wall deeper in, he heard air wooshing as he kept walking. Then he felt a shockingly familiar and leathery texture: Skin.

He halted. The winds were really loud now, and he could hear something beating. Was it a heart? He stepped again. He felt hair and bone on what felt like a chin. The windy noises were really loud, too. Mark dropped his hands and quickly backed away. There was something in this cave, with him, and he didn't know if it was awake or if it was going to kill him, or-

His heel clipped a jutting rock. He fell on his back with a loud thump that echoed. Winded, Mark gasped for breath as he heard the wind sounds stop. Too late, he realized that it was breathing as he heard what sounded like a yawn, and then suddenly his whole world came to life. It was something huge, and Mark didn't know what it was, but he was scared stiff.

He heard the thing stop moving and vocalize a small sound. Mark knew he should keep quiet, but that didn't stop the ragged, shallow, gulps of air being drawn into his chest and pushed out desperately from his lips. He couldn't help it, the fear of the unknown was too dominant. He felt the air heat up before something touched his chest. He shuddered with a violent start, recoiling. The thing quickly pulled away, but then it persisted, gently laying its weight over Mark. Mark was wheezing now. If his vision was working, he bet it would be blurry from how panicked he was getting. But then he'd be able to see what the hell was going on.

"Oh, ye poor thing..." Mark gasped. Someone was here!

"Wh-who's there?" He cried hoarsely, breaking off into a sputtering cough. He heard a hesitation.

"Can-can you not see me?" The voice asked cautiously. Mark felt his emotions bubbling to the surface and fought hard to not succumb to them.

"P-please, I..." Mark licked his dry lips and tried to speak again. "I'm lost, I-I don't know where I am, or-or what happened...!"

"Oh..." The voice went soft. "Y-you mean the fire? From this morning?" Mark struggled to think of an answer, but he was struggling just to breathe.

"I... I-I..."

"Here." He felt the weight on his chest shift. "You need to calm down, ok? I'm not gonna hurt ya, but you need to not panic, no matter what, ok?" Mark nodded; what choice did he have? He felt the thing retract and then something on both sides closed in on him. Mark's breath left him as they slipped under his back, and he felt G force pull on his body as he was lifted up- high up, it felt like. Mark blanched and wondered what was happening; the motion he was feeling gave his mind the image of scooping something up, like water, or-

His chest squeezed in fear as he came to a horrible realization. He was such a fool! He wasn't talking to a person. But was it possible? Was it all in his head? He shivered and felt his muscles tighten, his back digging in to the surface he was on. It felt sturdy, but the outer layer had a slight sinking touch to them. It was a hand. It had to be a hand. There was nothing else that it could be! Mark felt his own hand for reference and confirmed it with a terrifying accuracy. It had to be. There was no other explanation.

A warm breeze ruffled his hair, and Mark's heart squeezed as he braced himself. But nothing happened. Instead, his platform tilted, and he suddenly found himself gently sandwiched between the hands and the wall of fabric with the beating sound. Mark didn't move. He was afraid to. He knew he had stumbled across something huge and impossible. He also knew that this person, or thing, whatever it was, could easily kill him. Icy fear shot down his spine, making every vertebrae tingle as he couldn't help but whimper.

"Sh..." He felt the immense being shift and hold him close. "Don't be scared," the giant whispered, "I gotcha. Yer gonna be ok." Mark closed his eyes. He was shaking up a storm, but he couldn't help it. "You're lucky nothing like a wolf or something found ya." The giant gently touched Mark's head. "Then you really would have been in trouble." Mark ducked a little and buried his face in the fabric. He heard a brief silence to his reaction, during which the giant frowned. "Did you hit yer head?" Mark cried out when the giant tried to pull him away to get a better look, and he clung to the fabric wall dumbly. Just before he could be ripped away from the only thing that differed from the open air, the hand holding him stopped.

"... Sorry," the masculine voice realized. "You must be terrified, not being able to see and all." Mark shivered with relief as the giant returned him to his chest. "Here. I've got an idea for ya. Just let go for a second? There ya go... Yeah, just hang on a sec." The giant moved Mark a little bit and held open his pocket. "There we go..." Mark felt fabric rise up around him. He felt around, feeling empty space only above him, which was occupied by the gargantuan fingers. He felt the giant's hand retract, and cloth enveloped him. "Is that better?" The giant rumbled. Mark touched the side that covered the being's immense chest. He relaxed and let his hand drop.

"Thank you..." He murmured weakly, slumping against the solid wall. He felt a weight press on him as the giant put his hand over his pocket.

"Don't you worry little duder," the giant murmured, "I gotcha. It's gonna be ok, alright?" He looked out at the forest, and he saw that it was raining outside as the twilight darkened. He slowly, and carefully, lay down on his back and kept his hand over his pocket. "Get some rest little guy," he suggested, "You must be pretty tired. When it's morning, I'll get ya back to others, ok?" Mark nodded and closed his eyes.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

"No problem." After a few seconds, the giant added, "My name's Jack. How about you?"

"Mark." Jack smiled and crossed his arms over his ribcage.

"Well, don't worry about nothing, Mark. Imma get you back to yer people." 

 

 

 

Mark opened his eyes and, to his disappointment, saw darkness. He sighed and sat up. Still blind then. He felt around his surroundings and could feel only air. His stomach flipped. Where am I? He felt the ground. He was still in the cave.

"Jack?" He called. His voice echoed loudly. The cave was empty. Mark sighed. I guess he left. Will he be back? He sat there, not sure what to do. He couldn't leave, he'd only get lost. He still didn't know where the hell he was. What time is it? How long have I been out? What happened before I lost my memories? Mark let out a sigh, annoyed. All of these were questions that could be easily answered if he still had his sight.

He suddenly stopped his train of thought when he felt tremors in the ground. They were faint, but growing quickly in magnitude, until vibrations were shaking Mark along with the cave floor. That would be Jack, he realized before hearing the familiar voice boom.

"Oh, yer awake!" Mark covered his ears as Jack came into the cave. "Sorry," Jack apologized, using a quieter tone. "How ya feeling?" Mark looked in the direction he hoped Jack was approaching from, but he didn't realize he was facing a cave wall.

"A little better," he answered carefully. Jack let out a sympathetic sigh.

"You still can't see then?" Mark shook his head, and then he started when Jack jovially touched his back. "Cheer up," Jack said gently with an optimistic smile, "I'm gonna help ya feel better and get ye back home, ok?" Mark nodded and tried to relax. The giant's touch left him, and Mark felt his pulse quicken as the open air seemed to close in on him. He heard the giant sit behind him, and he felt the air heat up as Jack put his hands around the human.

"Can ya look up at me? I want to try something for yer eyes." Mark nodded and did his best, but Jack had to give him a couple of directions before Mark was facing the right way. "Ok, just hold yer eyes as wide as you can..." Mark jumped and leaned away when he felt something plaster his face.

"What are you doing?" He asked quickly, feeling his heart race. Where the stuff touched left a cool, tingly sensation, and he could feel the juices leaking into his eyes and alleviating some of the scratchy, burning ache.

"I'm just putting some of this herbal stuff on," Jack explained. "It helps with scratches, and it should work with yer eyes." Unsure, Mark leaned forward again and let Jack apply the herbal paste. He wrinkled his nose at the iffy smell, but he kept as still as he could manage. Finally, Jack stopped and studied his small acquaintance and nodded to himself.

"That should do it." He put the herbs aside. "How do ya feel?" He asked. Mark blinked. He still couldn't see, but the herbs felt soothing.

"Better," he admitted. Jack grinned.

"Good." He held a small, crafted, wooden bowl up to Mark. "Here, drink some water." Mark reached out and felt Jack's finger. He heard Jack take a sharp breath as a tremor ran through his hand at the tiny touch. Mark made a mental apology and felt around until he grabbed the wooden bowl.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I made a bowl for ya." Jack made sure Mark was holding the bowl levelly. "Don't worry, no splinters," he added quickly, "I was careful."

"Thanks." With the giant's help, Mark took a careful sip. He swallowed and winced. His throat was so sore. It felt like it was burning. Mark shivered and forced himself to take a few more sips, until he couldn't bear it anymore.

"Are ya hungry?" Jack asked, setting the bowl down. Mark shrugged. He didn't feel like eating, but his stomach felt like a black hole. "I got some berries." Jack held out a handful of delicious berries. The smell outdid the herbs and made Mark's mouth water.

"I'll try a few," he agreed hoarsely. Reaching out again, he touched the rim of the giant's hand and felt Jack help him up and scoop him off the floor. He nodded his head in gratitude, embarrassed by his helplessness, and felt around until he had a handful of the berries. He sat down and put one in his mouth. He chewed for a few seconds, and then his brow raised.

"Well?" Jack watched his tiny guest eagerly. Mark smiled.

"I-it's good." Jack beamed, glad to help.

"Good!" Mark continued eating, relaxing in his h̷͢o̡̢s̛͏̛t̴̕͞͏'̛̕s̸͘͜  hands. The berry juice soothed his throat and was tasty; at the moment Mark considered it the best thing he'd ever had.

"It rained all night," Jack said when Mark was done and licking the fading flavor off his fingers. He lifted Mark up to his shoulder and gently nudged the tiny man. Mark wiped his hands on his clothes and climbed on to the bony platform. "It's still raining a little bit," the giant continued, "But I smelled more rain on the way. We'll have to go now if you want to reach yer village before the next storm." Mark nodded.

"Ok." He felt Jack shift, and then his stomach suddenly did flips. He's getting up. Mark swayed and gripped the leather fabric under him as Jack stood and headed to the mouth of the cavern.

"Here." Strong fingers nudged him again, and Mark had no choice but to comply and let his body be pushed somewhere. He almost stumbled on a line of smooth leather sticking up and caught himself on a wall of skin. He felt the muscles around him tense. Mark mumbled an apology and pressed himself against the wall emanating body heat. As he tried to get his bearings, Jack waited a few seconds before he asked, "Ready?" Mark took a deep breath and nodded.

"Let's go."

 


	25. Blind Spot (Jack and Mark) (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack traverses the landscape to get Mark back to his people, but something seems to be bothering the giant about going to the village, despite his willingness to help his newfound friend.

The first few minutes, Mark had a hard time adjusting. He kept sliding and losing his balance with every step, smacking into his acquaintance's jugular, so Jack ended up moving him on to his head. It was higher up, but Mark could actually grip something without falling. Plus, the majority of the giant's escaped body heat kept Mark warm as the wind blew chilly air, and the messy hair gave Mark a cozy cushioning that made him feel a little better and more secure.

Eventually, he started to cope. He swayed with each thud and kept in rhythm, allowing his body to become one with the giant's motions. The hair on the back of his neck was still standing, however, because he felt like he was on a boat in the middle of an ocean. And that made Mark feel even more helpless as he shuddered and distracted himself with a tuft of soft, unkempt hair. Jack was a big help, though. As he walked, he chattered merrily, making small talk and describing the forest, or even making bad jokes. It made Mark feel a lot better, and it made the time go by until he felt a drop of rain splash on his forehead. He jumped and covered his head, and Jack stopped at the sudden movement.

"What's wrong?" Thr giant asked impetuously, sounding worried.

"I-I just felt water." Mark felt another drop hit him as it began to rain.

"Ah, shite." Jack looked around for shelter and made his way to a large, sturdy tree. The clouds rumbled darkly as the heavens opened up, and it began to pour on the two travelers. Jack wrinkled his nose and put his hand over his head, doing his best to shield Mark as he crouched under the tree and leaned against it. It creaked under his weight, but it was big enough to block the squall. Mark shivered. It's so cold.

Jack shuddered and shook his shoulders, hugging his knees to keep warm. "This is a bad storm," he grumbled. Mark nodded.

"It sounds so angry," he agreed nervously. Thunder boomed in the distance, making Mark flinch.

"Here." Jack wrapped his fingers around Mark and gently picked him up. "I'm sorry," he apologized as he held Mark to his chest, protecting the human with his body, "I should have known when the storm would hit."

"It's ok." Mark wrapped his arms around the giant's fingers. They were cold and wet from trying to cover him, but the droplets were already warming up from the heat that pulsed from the thick skin. Mark found himself running his hands along the ridges in one of these large tree-trunk sized fingers, listening to the storm howl around them as the rain came down harder. When the thunder roared and shook the earth, Mark flinched, and Jack shifted his grip to cover the human from the deluge.

"You all right?" He asked. Mark shivered and nodded.

"Y-yeah." He didn't want Jack to worry about him, though, so he suddenly asked, "Can you... can you describe yourself to me?"

"Describe myself?" Jack said in a puzzled tone. "What for?"

"Because... well, you know." He gestured at his eyes.

"Oh!" Jack tilted his hand so that Mark could sit in his palm and still hug one of his fingers. "Well," he started as Mark settled down with his thumb in his arms, "I'm Irish, in case ye couldn't tell." A light chuckle escaped Mark's lips.

"Never would have guessed." Jack laughed.

"Yeah, and I'm pretty boisterous! I, uh, have brown hair, um, I'm pretty fucking pale, and, uh, I've got blue eyes, a pretty manly goatee..." Jack contently described himself and his outfit as the storm raged on. His voice actually helped Mark block out the thunderstorm, which he appreciated. "Basically, I'm like a human, I suppose, only... well, ya know. Gargantuan," he finished. Mark nodded, trying to picture what the giant looked like.

"You're not that loud," he teased. Jack huffed.

"Maybe yer hearing was hurt in that fire too." Mark smiled and leaned into Jack's shirt, which the giant had described as a faded red color.

"Perhaps," he murmured. The surface under him expanded before deflating as Jack sighed.

"Do ya remember anything else about yerself?" He mused. Mark shook his head.

"Just my name..." He mumbled dejectedly.

"Well, why don't ya get some rest then?" Jack suggested. "You look tired still. I'll wake ya when the storm's over."

"Are-are you sure?" Mark felt Jack's hand cover him, completely pinning him against the giant's chest. His body heat made it very tempting to nod off, but Mark didn't want to sleep when Jack was doing so much for him, it felt disrespectful.

"Yeah!" Jack put on a more cheery tone. "I might join ya, actually. I'm not usually a morning person," he chuckled. Mark smiled a little.

"Well... Just wake me as soon as it's over," he said, "Or if you need something." Jack ruffled his hair with his thumb.

"I will, just get some rest little duder." Mark relaxed and stifled a yawn. He still didn't want to fall asleep, but Jack was right; he was tired. He leaned against the giant's booming heart and closed his eyes, lulled to sleep by his friend's body and the rainstorm around them.

 

 

 

When Mark opened his eyes, it took a few seconds for his body to wake up before he realized that something was different: Through dim and blurry vision, he could actually see now, but not very well. His eyes were still weak and hurt to keep open, so he couldn't look around for very long. Nevertheless, Mark was ecstatic. He was going to see again!

He turned and squinted. Through his weak eyesight, Mark witnessed the massive hulk of his friend's shoulder. Jack was on his side, curled up against the tree and snoring softly. But Mark could actually see the line of red that was the giant's shirt under his jacket, and he could make out the pale color of Jack's hands wrapped around him. Though he wanted to keep seeing, he had to close his eyes again. He listened; the storm had finally stopped and was now just lightly sprinkling.

"J-Jack...?" Mark licked his dry lips and gently nudged Jack's hand. A muscle in one of his fingers twitched in response, but the giant was still sound asleep. Mark decided to leave him be. It's my fault he's out here in the first place. The least I can do is let him catch up on his zzz's. He sighed and got comfortable, using Jack's hand like a blanket. There wasn't much else he could do, so he dozed until he eventually realized Jack's pulse was quickening. He opened his eyes as the giant shifted and stirred with a sleepy rumble, and he looked up. He still couldn't see hardly at all, but he caught a sharp glimmer of bright blue that stood out in Mark's faded world. His weak eyes were drawn to the giant's magnificent baby blue eyes.

Jack noticed Mark's intense gaze and looked at him curiously. "Mahrk? Can you-can ya see me?" He asked. Mark sighed and let his world fade to black.

"Not really, but... a little bit." A brief pause had Mark guessing that the giant was grinning.

"That's great! Yer already getting better!" He pointed out. Mark sighed.

"Yeah. I just wish I had more of my memories," he said miserably.

"Anything else come to ya?" Mark shrugged.

"Los Angeles?" He offered uncertainly. "And a place, called, uh... Sh-Shuttingale?" Jack nodded.

"Yeah! That's the name of the village," he said rather proudly, "Oh yeah." He looked around. "The rain finally stopped," he observed, "You ready to go?" Mark nodded.

"Whenever you are." Jack's stomach suddenly growled, and he chuckled in embarrassment.

"Well, maybe after a bite to eat." He sat up and grimaced at the mud on his elbow as he let Mark slip into his pocket. Mark curled up at the bottom as the giant got up and set off to hunt for something. It was only a short while before he suddenly heard Jack go, "Aha!"

"What is it?" Mark uncurled and blinked blearily upward. Jack's fingers slipped in and scooped Mark out.

"Ta-da!" In his other hand was a collection of berries. Mark squinted until he could see that, and then he smiled.

"Thanks!" They contently foraged for berries, when Jack ate most of them but gave his small friend some good advice about the berries and nearby herbs, like which ones were good and which ones were bad.

"And marigold," he said unexpectedly, "Marigold's good for ya too!" As he pointed out the herb, Mark gave him a perplexed look.

"Yeah, good for your skin, not for inside of you!" He laughed.

"Well, have you tried it?" He asked in a haughty tone, grinning.

"Ye-uh, I-I, er, y-yes! I have!" Mark stammered until he could summon words.

"That's a bunch of bull!" Jack bellowed with a laugh.

"I have, and then I died!" Mark said dramatically, "That's how bad it was!" The two collapsed in a fit of giggles as the clouds finally separated to reveal the midday sun. Jack smiled up at the peeking rays of light, and then he looked at Mark.

"Ya ready to go?" Mark nodded. With a fresh layer of herbs over his eyes again, he hoped that he would be able to see even better very soon. Then he could thank Jack properly.

"Let's go!" He agreed.

The clouds had the sense to not rain again as the two embarked on their journey, though they hovered close by just in case. The sun gradually tilted toward the horizon, coloring the world with beautiful gold, orange, and pink light. It was gorgeous, and Mark didn't even see it until Jack pointed it out to him, which he was grateful for. He kept trying to strain his eyes and take in the world around him, but the giant chastised him, and so he resorted himself to studying Jack's hair. Though his vision was still weak and faded, like a really bad Polaroid, he could make out the swoops and swirls of his gargantuan friend's wild, unkempt hair. It gave Mark something to do as they traveled onward.

Jack hadn't said anything for a few minutes now. His head kept swinging from side to side as he nervously glanced around, until finally Mark decided to question why. "What is it? What's wrong?" He asked the normally boisterous giant. He heard Jack swallow nervously before he answered.

"Mark... um..." He stopped walking and scratched the back of his neck. "What do you, ahm, what do ye think of me?" He asked aloofly. Mark blinked.

"What do I think of you?" Mark pondered for a second, wondering if there was a trick to this statement. "Uh, w-well, I think of you as the guy that saved my ass," he said simply.

"I-I meant- I, I mean, like-" Jack seemed to be having trouble forming his sentences now. Mark frowned.

"Everything all right?" He asked worriedly. Jack sighed.

"I-I just meant- like- do I seem like a bad guy to you?" Mark was taken aback.

"Of course not!" He exclaimed, "You saved my worthless butt, and now you're going out of your way to bring me home!" Jack nodded, but he was still eyeing the forest warily.

"How about a break?" He suddenly suggested. "I could use a few minutes off my legs. Why don't you, uh, go look for some berries? I can call for ya if ye get lost." Before Mark could reply, Jack's hand was picking him up from behind, and the human was set down on the ground. Mark blinked and stood there for a few seconds as he heard Jack sit down behind him.

"Oh- o-okay." Bewildered, Mark wandered off, keeping his eyes open to absorb his vague surroundings.  _What the hell was that about? Why did he seem so... so worried? Jack never sounded worried unless he was concerned for my safety._  Mark looked around nervously.  _But then he wouldn't have sent me off to my death. So what's with him?_ Mark let his thoughts run in circles as he came across a berry bush and started collecting the berries. It wasn't until about a handful of collected when he was suddenly aware of another presence and stiffened. But when he turned, there was already a bow and arrow aimed right at him.

 


	26. Blind Spot (Jack and Mark) (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things finally clear up for Mark as he's reunited with his lost friends.

"You know, those are actually poisonous." Mark blinked.

"O-oh." He let the berries drop and studied his attacker to the best of his ability. It was a female, and she had blonde hair, clothes made of cloth and animal fur, and tattoos drawn over her pale-ish skin. But she felt familiar. That lighthearted look in her eyes, the way she held her head behind that large white recurve bow. "Your, uh, your aim is off a few degrees," Mark blurted before he could stop himself. "Your head's, erm, too-too tilted." A lot of emotions ran through the girl's eyes, and she lowered her bow.

"I-I know," she said quietly, "You've told me that before." Mark heard rustling and looked around to see more people emerge from the foliage. The woman set her bow down and hugged him, startling him. "Are you ok, Mark?" She asked, "You don't remember saying that, do you? And you don't... you don't recognize me?" Mark shook his head. His eyes were hurting, so he closed them.

"I-I got caught in a-a fire, or something. I-I think I hit my head, I can't remember anything, but... but my eyes..." The woman gently touched his face and pried one of his eyes open to determine the damage done. She drew a sharp breath and hugged Mark again.

"I'm so glad you're still alive." Her voice was thick with emotion. "I- we thought you were dead. Ethan almost died in that forest fire too."

"E-Ethan?" The name sounded familiar. The woman nodded and sniffled.

"Yes, Mark, Ethan. And Tyler, and Katheryn, and..." Her voice dwindled to a quiet murmur. "And my name's Amy." Mark felt like he had been struck by lightning. He knew these names!

"I-I remember a-a place, called, uh, Los Angeles?" He tried. Amy frowned.

"Los Angeles?"

"And Shuttingale," he offered.

"Mark!" A new face suddenly ran over and hugged him giddily. "You're ok!" He cried. "Wowie, everyone thought you were dead! But not me, you saved me!"

"I did?" Mark was drawing a blank.

"Ethan, he has a bad concussion," Amy informed the boy. Ethan's eyes lit up with horror, but also with understanding and sympathy.

"Oh, I see!" Ethan hugged Mark. "I'm so sorry, it's my fault, if we hadn't gone off and wandered so far away-" A series of roars suddenly exploded from a place close by, and a tree fell over. Mark gasped.

"Jack!" He ran toward the commotion as the snarling and thumping continued. It sounded like a very large and angry tiger was on the loose, but Mark knew it was his buddy. He burst out of the bushes, his friends right behind him, to see with horror that the rest of the village warriors had taken the giant down and tied ropes over him.

"Keep that one down!"

"Don't let it get up!"

"Hey, tether its feet down!" Jack roared in pain and jerked his head, not noticing Mark's return.

"Jack!" Mark started to run to him when Ethan held him back. "Don't- What are you doing!? Let me go! Stop!"

"Mark, it's ok! This monster won't hurt anybody," Ethan tried to coax. "We've got it under control."

"Monster?" Mark cried in disbelief.

"Mark!" A tall, immense man ran over and hugged him. "Thank god, you're alright!" Mark wriggled away and ran to Jack.

"Whoa, step back, step back!"

"Mark!" Amy exclaimed fearfully. As Jack strained against the ropes that tightly held him down, Mark ran up to his head.

"Jack!" Jack turned his head, and his eyes widened.

"M-Mark?"

"It's ok, it's gonna be ok!" Mark turned the others. They were all petrified, and they looked like they expected the immense giant to bite Mark's head off.

"Mark, get away from it!" The tall one, Tyler, tried to say. Mark shook his head and backed up, leaning against Jack's forehead.

"Untie him! He saved my life!" He begged. Amy looked astounded, while the others looked skeptical.

"Mark, that's a giant," Ethan tried to reason, "Do you know what giants eat?" Behind Mark, Jack let out a growl, insulted.

"I don't care!" Mark balled up his fists. "When I somehow, by miracle, survived that fire, I was completely blind! I couldn't see anything, so I wandered all day, lost and confused. And then I found Jack, and do you know what he did? He saved me! He kept me warm and protected me from night predators, and he gave me this herbal stuff to help my eyes heal!" Mark waved his hand desperately at the green paste that covered his skin like a blindfold. "If it wasn't for him, I'd most certainly be dead. Do you hear me? Dead!" He could hear Jack panting nervously behind him.

"But Mark, that giant is a predator!" Tyler protested, "They've terrorized our village for many years." He paused, and then he added hesitantly, "I saw this one running off when the fire started. It-it was one of them that started the fire, Mark. It's because of them you were almost lost to us." Mark froze. Another giant? Why would a giant start a fire? And how?

Mark turned to look at Jack, opening his mouth to say something, but then he stopped. Jack's eyes were closed, and his brow was furrowed as a tear guiltily slipped down his cheek. "... It... I-It was you?" Mark murmured out loud. Jack bit back a sob.

"I-I didn't mean to," he whispered. "I-I didn't realize anything or-or anyone else was around." He put his head in the ground and sniffled. " I-I just wanted to see how humans controlled fire!" He cried muffledly. "But I-I learned my lesson, I did, I really did, I'm so, so sorry....!"

"You almost burned the entire forest down," Tyler inputted. "I saw you running off when it started to spread."

"I know!" Jack kept his head down, crying. "I-I didn't mean to! I was just curious." He shook his head and sobbed into the soil again. "Whatever, I got what was coming to me," he mumbled sadly, "Just go ahead and kill me. It's the least I deserve." Mark noticed the others look at him in response to this. They were waiting on his command now, to choose what to do with the remorseful giant. Mark turned to Jack.

"Jack, look at me." Jack shook his head, keeping his face grinded in the dirt. "Look at me, please," Mark repeated quietly. Jack did nothing for a few seconds, and then he slowly tilted his head. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, and salty tears mixed with dirt smudged on his cheek. His eyes were a tragic, shimmering blue, glistening with tears as they bore the same colors of the upset sky. Mark walked up to the giant's face, and he hugged the giant's nose bridge. Jack froze. His nostrils flared in anxious alarm as he held still, but Mark didn't do anything else. He simply hugged the giant and nuzzled him.

"It's ok, Jack," Mark soothed, "It's ok, don't cry. Of course I forgive you..." Jack closed his eyes and smothered a grateful sob. Tyler hesitated, and then he waved his hand at the other villagers, and they quickly cut the ropes. Once free, Jack gratefully stretched his legs out, but he didn't move away from the odd hug. Mark smiled at him with a gentle kindness.

"So, how did you try to harness fire?" He asked innocently.

"... I threw flint at a tree 'cause nothing else was working and I had given up," Jack muttered. Mark laughed.

"Rule number one of fire power: Don't disrespect the flint." 


	27. Roadblock (Mark and Jack) ( "TEASER" )

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teaser: Stuck in a screwed up world, Jack struggles to make sense of the chaos unleashed upon mankind's life as giants run rampant across the world. But he soon realizes that there is far more than meets the eye...

Jack wasn't sure how he ended up in this scenario. For starters, he was stuck in an apocalypse. No, it was not a zombie apocalypse or whatever fantasies they make nowadays. This was a chaotic world where giants seem to have come out of nowhere and overtaken the entire planet. Buildings and civilization as they knew it was destroyed; animals hid and became much more aggressive; humans had to run too, or else they would be devoured by the man-eating, gargantuan monsters.

For Jack, things had been pretty rough. At the beginning of his footrace for survival, it rained a fucking bunch. He was wet and cold all the time, but as least the rain hid his scent. He made his way across the UK and snuck onto a boat that shipped a few other humans across the waters, but they had to pay the captain food in exchange. Jack stumbled onto Floridian soil and made his way across the United States. He had to hide from lots of giants, using his small, skinny size, and the luck of the Irish. It felt like ages before he finally made it to the abandoned city of Los Angeles, California. For a moment, there was hope when Jack finally made it to see the once great city on the horizon. Los Angeles could afford plenty of hiding places, and there was a good chance of some stuff to scavenge. But then, when he had retired to a cave to sleep in a safe hiding place, he was startled to find out that it was being occupied by a pack of ravenous wolves.

And so, he was currently on the run for his very life.

Jack was already out of breath as he clambered over a fallen tree log. The wolves seemed nonexistent, lacking bodies, but their howls pierced the twilight and sent shivers running down his spine; they were everywhere, all around and at once. His legs were jelly as he stumbled forward, weighed down by fatigue, but he kept going. He looked over his shoulder and caught a fleeting glimpse of a lanky shadow. His breath hitched, and just as he turned around again he smacked into something that sent him reeling. He collapsed with a yelp, stunned for a few seconds before he groaned and sat up.

"Ow!" He muttered. He was about to get up when he saw what was blocking his way: An immense shoulder, covered in a wall of black fabric. His eyes widened. His breath suddenly quickened a mile a minute, and he watched in transfixed horror as the shoulder shifted. A face was revealed, and the giant yawned languidly before its eyes fluttered open, unfocused. Jack pedaled back a bit as the eyes blinked and hazily looked around, unfocused, before they settled on him. The giant's eyes widened, and a curious rumble reverberated in his chest, shaking Jack to the very bone.

As he scrambled to his feet and started backing away, he heard a scuttle of paws and turned to see the wolf pack peering at him through the bushes. He gasped and backed away, trembling so violently that it was a wonder he could stay upright. He felt a warm breath before a hand came in front of him. He whimpered as the hand gently pulled him away from the wolves and guided him to the giant. Jack tried to make a break for it, but the hand just blocked it. Helpless, he was pulled up to the giant's chest, and his world went dark as he was gently pinned against solid bone and powerful muscles.

The giant growled at the wolves. The puny predators yipped nervously, and then one made the daring mistake to take a step forward. The giant bared his teeth and roared aggressively, and the wolves yelped as they turned tail and ran. Jack had flinched against the immense being and closed his eyes. He shuddered as a tear escaped him and rolled down his cheek. He was at the complete mercy of an apex predator.

He hiccupped with a sob as the giant relaxed and looked down at his catch. He rumbled curiously, and he frowned when he felt Jack cringe. He slowly sat up, taking the human with him, and turned over so he was upright. He slowly uncupped his hand and found himself holding a tiny Irishman that was starting to burst into tears. He whined and lowered his head to sniff the human, wondering if it was hurt.

As soon as Jack felt the giant prod him with his nose and sniff, he did the only thing he could do and screamed. The giant sharply pulled back, now looking concerned. He tried again, but Jack broke into a wild flailing and kicked away.

"No, no, no!!!" He shouted, "I've lasted this long, yer not taking me alive!!!" Puzzled, the giant stopped and watched the human squirm. It was kind of cute, but why was it squeaking so much? Maybe it doesn't like being touched. He slowly moved his head and watched as Jack sat up and looked around wildly. Jack wasn't sure how long he had. Had he scared the giant off? How long before it...?

No, don't think like that! Jack took his best chance and jumped to his feet, bolting to the edge of the giant's hand and jumping off. He heard the giant sharply inhale before he slammed into a tree's trunk, sliding down the bark a bit before he got a grip. He grunted and reached for a tree limb. He wrapped his arms around it and tried to pull himself up, but his weak muscles failed him. He gasped when he almost slipped and held on for dear life, scraping his skin painfully. He whimpered and kicked his legs, still trying to get up.

The giant was puzzled. What is it doing? He watched the tiny Irishman kick and struggle, draped on a branch that, if broke, would be a long fall. Jack tried to reach for the bark to pull himself up, but the bark snapped and peeled under his weight. He yelled out as his chest slammed against the branch, and- winded- he lost his grip and fell with a scream. He expected to have a quick and painful death, and that the giant would get to have a Jack-shaped pancake. But his landing wasn't that; before he could hit the ground, he suddenly collapsed in a plush field of darkness. It took him a few seconds before his body reacted, and he gasped in a breath of air. For a few seconds, he lay there, panting, until he could sit up. He groaned in pain and looked at his arms to see that shallow blood dotted his skin. He rubbed them tenderly, wincing. Well, if that doesn't wake up a giant's appetite, I don't know what will. And, speaking of giants, the surface under him moved with a groan. Jack's eyes were big as he went "Whoa!" and steadied himself.

It was then that he realized where he was, as the giant sat up and rubbed his arm. The giant had dropped to his forearms and knees and caught Jack with his head, allowing Jack a safe place to land and saving his life. Jack shuddered and looked at the knoll of hair he was embedded in. Shocking waves of body heat rolled over him, enveloping him in warmth. He shivered. How the hell am I still alive? But what he wasn't taking into account was that the giant still had not tried to eat him. Instead, the immense creature was sitting on his legs, licking some dirt off his hand.

The giant suddenly jerked his head and sneezed, startling Jack before he laughed nervously. "Bless you!" He said instinctively. The giant sniffed and rubbed his nose. Jack shakily got up and walked to the edge of the giant's hair. He paled at the long drop far below and took a step back, and then he looked down to see thr giant brushing dirt off of his ragged jeans. Jack swallowed nervously.

"Um..." He started, "H-hello? H-hi, giant?" The giant's head came up slightly, and he rumbled. "Yeah, um." Jack scratched the back of his head. "C-can ye put me down? If-if you just get me to the-the ground, we can just pretend that, uh, y-you never saw me-" he yelped when the giant reached up and picked him up. Jack squirmed a little as he was brought down to eye level. He slowly stopped and studied the giant as his tiny chest pressed against his fingers. He had warm, almond-brown eyes, smooth tan skin, and some stubble. For a carnivore, the giant looked pretty... pretty human.

The giant rumbled and brought Jack closer. Jack tensed until he realized the giant was sniffing him again, and he warily relaxed, this time allowing it. The giant growled and opened his hand a little, allowing Jack some wriggle room. But no sooner did he pull his arms out of the giant's fist did the immense fingers suddenly grab his arms and extend them outward. Jack tensed as the giant sniffed his scratches and growled. He yelped when it stuck its huge tongue out and licked his arms.

"Hey!" He chided, squirming. But he couldn't pull back, and the giant started lapping at the cuts. Jack slowly stopped and stared at it. His arms were starting to not hurt anymore. The giant kept licking before licking his own lips and looking at Jack. He rumbled hopefully, and to Jack it for some reason sounded like, "Did I do good?" He sighed, relaxing.

"Thanks," he mumbled. The giant purred and nuzzled him, squishing Jack against his cheek. Jack giggled and playfully pushed. "Hey! Careful!" The giant continued purring for a few more seconds, and Jack slowly relaxed. For some reason, this giant was different than the man-eating ones. Maybe it was vegetarian, or maybe it simply didn't want to eat him of all creatures. Whatever the reason, Jack was grateful; and, now that he was starting to get over his anxiety about the beast, he was starting to feel comfortable. He wasn't appreciating how high up he was, however.

"Do you have a name?" Jack suddenly asked. "Or do giants not have those?" It was a question that had been brewing in his head for a good while.

"Mmmrrrhhg," the giant growled. Jack frowned.

"Guess not." He tried to think of a name that started with an M. "Hmm. Marvin...? No. Mmm? Mmmrr..." Jack wondered if the giant had tried to say a name but failed. "Mrr.. What sounds like Mmrr...? Mrr.. Mmmaa... M-Maarr..." Jack snapped his fingers. "Mark?" He asked. The giant purred and nodded at the familiar syllable, and Jack grinned. "Awesome! I got it right!" He smiled at the giant, who's lips twitched nervously before baring his teeth in a smile back. Jack chuckled and suddenly yawned. "Oh, man," he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I can't remember the last time I slept. I'm completely knackered!" Mark rumbled and held the human against his chest. Jack yawned again and hesitantly snuggled. "Thanks," he murmured.

Mark started softly purring, huddling over his small acquaintance. Jack closed his eyes and sighed, only tensing at first when he felt Mark start nuzzling him. He relaxed and sighed. "Yer ok, buddy," he murmured deliriously. "Yer not so bad. Yer like a giant teddy bear, actually." The purring grew in intensity. Then Mark looked around and sniffed, and then he got up and carried Jack somewhere. He peeked between the giant's fingers to see Mark taking him to a cave. But this one felt different, it had a more open and friendly air, set apart from the wolf cave.

Jack closed his eyes with a sleepy hum as Mark carried him inside and sat down at the back of the cavern. The giant yawned and resumed nuzzling Jack, who smiled drowsily before dozing off. Mark continued purring softly and carefully lay down, curling up with his human acquaintance safely snuggled in his arms. He looked at the mouth of the cave for a few minutes, watching the last of the fading sunlight disappear, and then he let his head rest on the cold stone floor and fell asleep. 


	28. A Relic of the Past (Jack and Mark) (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hiking trip to explore a newly revealed cave goes horribly wrong when Mark gets separated from his friend.

A/N Not formatted yet, apologies.

 

Mark's eyes practically glowed in the golden light of the sunset. His irises were rings of passionate copper, and in the light his skin shined with perspiration. Beside him, his more tired accomplice huffed for breath.

"Mark," he panted, "Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe-maybe we should just wait until tomorrow, y-ya know?" The skinny boy chuckled nervously.

"It's okay if you're scared, Ethan." Mark turned to his friend. "You didn't have to come, and you can still go back if you want," he offered, "I won't judge." Ethan puffed his chest out.

"What!? Hah, nah. You're-you're not getting rid of me that easily!" He panted. Mark laughed kindly.

"Well, all right then, if you insist." He shrugged his pack off and sat on a large rock. "But let's take a break first." Ethan was all too eager to sit down too.

"Oh," he sighed, "I can't believe you talked me into this though."

"Well, who knows what's in that cave?" Mark paused to chug half of a water bottle down, and then he added, "Besides, I bet nobody's ever been in them before. We only saw them because those trees burned down, remember?"

"Yeah." They let their hearts slow back to a normal pace before moving on. Soon, they stood at the mouth of the cave, checking their flashlights and making sure they had full batteries and supplies like fiber bars.

"You good?" Mark called quietly.

"Yeah." Ethan turned his flashlight on to combat the twilight sinking in. It cut through the darkening air, but they didn't see very far into the black mouth of the cavern. "Heh heh, l-ladies first!" Ethan offered. Mark snickered and agreed to go first. He held his modern torch ahead as he entered the entryway into the earth.

"Brr." Already, the temperature was beginning to drop, and the rock felt cool even beneath his shoes. Ethan shivered as well, following close behind Mark.

"Why's it so cold?" He complained.

"Because not much sunlight gets in here, and the sun is halfway down the horizon?" Mark pointed out. Ethan giggled nervously.

"No, I know, but still." They scoped the first cavern out. It was large and rounded, and the ceiling was high above their heads. But there was a large and twisted path that led deeper in. "Just like Minecraft... think Minecraft," Ethan mumbled to himself to keep a brave face on. They marked the wall with a reminder that they had come from this direction, so that they wouldn't get lost, before they went even deeper. The temperature continued to drop. The stone trail led deeper in still, and soon Mark and Ethan huddled together as they walked to keep warm.

"Is it still going down?" Ethan asked. They were now both making sure that the tunnel's walls didn't branch off into more tunnels.

"Yeah." Mark shined the light ahead. It still goes deeper? How long have we been walking? It feels like an hour. "Maybe we should have waited until daytime," He conceded, shivering.

"Nah it'll be fine. You were excited to check this place out, so that's what we're doing." Ethan smiled at his pal. "Come on, let's just keep going." Mark nodded gratefully and continued deeper. Interesting. The walls aren't thinning out, they've kept the tunnel at quite a fixed width. But where does it lead to? Why is this here? Is it just a cave, or...?

"Hey!" Ethan's voice suddenly boomed against the walls. "I think I feel a breeze!" And then the world began to rumble. Mark's eyes widened.

"Ethan!" He shouted, but then he regretted it. A stalagmite crumbled and fell from the ceiling, landing at Ethan's feet. Ethan yelped and careened into Mark. "Shit! Cave-in! Run!" They turned and bolted back the way they'd come. Rock grackled all around them. Dust unsettled and rose up as the cold stone crumbled and collapsed.

"There's the entrance!" Ethan called.

"Go! Go!! Go!!!" Mark looked up and saw sharp stalagmites threatening to fall on top of the two friends. He also noticed cracks spreading across the ceiling like spiders weaving webs, and he realized with dismay that they might just not make it. Mark made a decision and pushed Ethan with all his might. Ethan yelped as he shot through the air, fell down, and rolled safely just outside of the cave.

"Mark!" Ethan's breathless cry was swallowed up as the structure of the mouth collapsed. Mark shielded his eyes and fell back as debris collapsed in front of him, and his way out was sealed. "Mark!!!" Ethan staggered up to the closed off cave and slammed his hand on the rock. "Mark! Are you okay!?" He yelled. Inside, the flashlight lay broken next to a pile of rubble. The rubble shifted, and then Mark emerged as he pushed stones off of his chest and sat up. He groaned.

"Ethan?" He asked hoarsely.

"Yeah, I'm out here! But I can't get to you!" Mark groaned again and coughed up dust. He waved the cloudy stuff away and looked at what was formerly his way out.

"I'm okay!" Mark replied. But then he winced. Ow... not really... "Don't worry about me, just go get help, okay?"

"But-but-"

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Ethan. But please, just go, all right?"

"O-okay." Ethan looked frantically at the fading rays of sunlight. I gotta get help! I gotta get him out of there! As he ran off as fast as he could, Mark reached blindly for his flashlight. But when he felt its snapped body, he sighed. Of course. He pushed more rocked aside and dug through his pocket. Aha! He pulled out his phone and turned it on. No service. But I just need the flashlight. The light on his phone came on, almost as strong as a real flashlight. Mark smiled a little. Hope remains.

He shined the light now on his legs. He wasn't sure which one it was, but one of them had a broken bone. Both of his legs hurt, but Mark knew he needed to get out of the rubble. He set his phone down and analyzed the largest rock. It was right on his left shin, and now that he was realizing the conundrum he noticed that a warm sticky liquid was seeping from under the rock. Well fuck, I guess there's my broken bone. He touched the rock warily, and then he put both hands on it. He took a deep breath, counted to three, and then he shoved it off.

Pain sparked through his whole leg as he regained feeling. Mark let out an uncontrollable scream of pain, but he immediately muffled his screech and cast a fearful glance up at the ceiling. Nothing happened. His throat was tight as he swallowed nervously and slowly relaxed. I hope Ethan didn't hear that. As Mark pushed the rest of the rock debris off, he began to shiver from the pain and the cold. We should have packed blankets. Wait! Where's my pack? Mark looked around and remembered dropping it in the tunnel since it was extra weight. He sighed. Fat lot of good it did me. But I guess now I can use it to hang tight until Ethan gets back.

Getting up was a challenge. Every movement pained his neurons and made his body beg to just give up and lie down, but Mark was determined. He eventually managed to get up, and pretty soon he was limping through the tunnel with the wall as his support and guide. Every now and then some specks of dust or a pebble would fall from the ceiling, making Mark freeze until it was quiet once more. He held his phone out and marveled at how much a cave-in could transform a cavern. The rock was scarred with gaping cracks that only led to darkness, and more stone jutted out than usual. But then a thought made Mark suddenly halt in his tracks.

This feels like a horror game. A chill ran down his spine, and he cursed himself. Damn it, why did you have to go and think that!? He scolded his stupid brain for the pointless jolt of fear, but when he continued he found himself checking over his shoulder every now and then.

Deeper in, he finally saw it. The pack lay unharmed just up ahead, and Mark limped as fast as he could to it. Yes! Food and water! As Mark guzzled a few swigs, he felt something lightly tug on his hair. He paused and looked around. There it was again! What was that? But then Mark recalled Ethan saying he had felt a breeze. Oh! Mark felt stupid for not realizing that it was the wind. But if there was wind, then...

Is there a way out? Mark slung his pack over his shoulder and limped on. If there's a way out, then I could get out of this cave! But as he went on, the ground suddenly dipped down in a slope, and with only one good foot Mark slipped on loose pebbles and rolled with a yelp. He tumbled down the hard way and collapsed at the foot of the slope. He groaned and slowly rolled off his back.

"Oww," he moaned. His skin was covered in dirt and scrapes. His clothes were dirty too, but luckily his pack was still intact. He dragged himself off his stomach and reached for his phone when he suddenly realized that the air felt warmer, and he could hear a slow and steady thumping. He paused. Come to think of it, the ground felt softer than he expected...

Where am I? Oh please tell me this isn't a volcano or some other death trap, like a natural gas chamber or... As Mark's thoughts rambled multiple natural hazards, he pulled his mangled body closer and grabbed the phone. The battery was almost dead. Shit! Mark uneasily sat up, swaying a bit before he recovered his balance and looked around. Well, that breeze sounds louder. It feels like its coming from this way. When Mark got up again, he realized with a jolt that the ground was actually moving. It rose and fell with gentle bobs that coincided with the wind, and Mark wondered tiredly if he had stumbled across a factory or something. What would they even be producing down here? And who? And why-?

Mark halted. His eyes became enormous, and his jaw went slack. His hand carrying the phone began to tremble. He felt like a ghost had just slapped him in the face and made him wake up: Because he was shining a light directly into a giant face.

Mark would like to think that what happened next was manly and controlled, but that wasn't what really happened. He couldn't really remember what exactly happened; he heard someone scream as he staggered back and toppled off his feet, but then he realized it was he who was screaming and quickly covered his mouth. His eyes remained huge, fixated on the immense chin that was visible in the faint light. He had dropped his phone, but Mark realized what he was seeing now: A giant.

Impossible! And yet there it was. Mark slowly pushed himself up again, but the ground under him was unstable and delayed his sense of balance. Holy shit oh god what the fuck holy shit oh shit...! Hundreds of curses and swears tore through Mark's mind as he realized that he was standing on the giant's stomach, and he felt the blood drain from his face. No, don't scream, don't scream! He commanded his body to keep silent. And although he managed to not shatter his vocal chords again, his breathing was wild and unchecked. Oh my god... I need to sit down. Nope, don't sit, don't sit. But his legs shook, so Mark gave in and found a stable spot to sit. Resting on the giant's ribcage, Mark took rapid gulps of cold air, pale and sweaty from his discovery.

This can't be real. This isn't possible. I-I must be dead. Yeah, dead, or some kind of gas that causes hallucinations, or-or... It took Mark a few minutes and a lot of talking to himself before he could breathe again. He slowly peered over his shoulder to examine the giant. It still hadn't moved. But it was still breathing. Is it asleep? Mark wondered. If so, then maybe I can still get out of here.

Mark didn't feel very safe walking across a slumbering giant in the earth, but he had no other choice. He edged up to his phone and grabbed it, and then he started looking for a way out. Just pretend it's the ground, it's just the ground, it's not alive. Mark tried to set the fact that he was standing on a massive being aside and tried to look for a way out. But every which way he turned, stone wall tightly loomed over him. But it was smooth stone, and when Mark looked up one time he noticed that the wall came up in cut sections, like a blocky pyramid, until closing off at a tight height.

"Ohh," Mark breathed. I get it! He wandered down a large leg and then back up to the chest, getting a feel for the giant's size. And it was at this moment that he decided the beast was a male. He's in here because he's stuck! That ceiling is too low for him, I think. But how did he get in here? His fear was slowly ebbing away, replaced by awe. How long has he been in here? He looked up at the giant's face again, and then moved to his shoulder to get a better look. A surprisingly well-trimmed looking goatee outlined his jaw and lips, and his hair was poofy and a soft brown. His skin was pale, and his countenance held no emotion. Mark felt a sort of sadness creep over him. Poor guy. I bet he's been on here for a long time.

But then Mark noticed a slight color. He turned off his phone and strained his eyes. Sure enough, there was something green glowing, and it was coming from the giant's forehead, but it was too high up to see what. Mark sighed as his curiosity overwhelmed him. "Ahh, shit," he muttered. He turned the phone back on and hobbled up to the giant's neck. The closer he got, the more aware he became of that strange thumping sound again. Oh, his heartbeat! Mark put an ear to the giant's jugular and listened. He could hear gallons upon gallons of blood rushing through large veins, and a pulse softly throbbing as the heart continued its work for its slumbering host. He leaned a little closer. Waves of body heat rolled off of the giant, enveloping the stranded explorer with a strange sense of comfort. He could hear the wind now, clear as day, rushing through the giant's trachea and being sucked up into powerful lungs. The breath came back just as soft but powerful, carbon dioxide pushed out of the massive respiratory system.

Wow. It took a little effort for Mark to remind himself of his objective, and so he pulled away and looked up the side of the immense head for a way to climb up. This is going to be hard. I'm not sure how much longer I can go on this lame leg, but I have to try. Mark set the phone down on the collar bone and reached up for the hairs of the goatee. He gripped it and pulled himself up, and he put his good foot on the giant's jawbone. He felt no reaction from the slumbering beast. Good. He reached up higher, and this he continued a ritualistic pattern. Grab, climb, rest, repeat. He eventually pulled himself onto the giant's cheek, and he winced when he almost slipped.

"Sorry," he muttered quickly when he regained his balance. He scaled up to the giant's eyes and did his best to traverse past them. The lashes tickled a little as he pulled himself up onto the brow, and then, panting, he finally collapsed on top of the enigmatic creature's forehead. The glow was definitely coming from here. Mark's eyes strained against the bright light. It was so green and strong, but when his eyes adjusted he saw that there was a small notch in the giant's forehead, and in the little space was a perfectly shaped gem. Mark's eyes widened. It's beautiful. His fatigue forgotten, he approached the stone. It shimmered with a transparent shell, and deep inside the gem green filtered through veils of pure light.

Mark was astounded. He felt like the stone was calling to him, asking him to pick it up. Well... I don't see why not. He sat down beside the notch and studied the brilliant gem. He reached out, hesitated, and then touched the stone. Its light pulsed brighter, and a faint humming filled the man's ears. His fingers worked on their own. He curled them and pressed down, and then the gem clicked as it pulled out of place. The cavern flashed green with the beautiful light before the stone softened its intensity to an eerie light. Mark marveled at the mystical rock that seemed to fit perfectly in his hand. It was cool and smooth to the touch, and its oval shape sat comfortably in his palm.

"Amazing," Mark breathed. When he had seen this cave, he hadn't expected to find anything. It was just an idea he suggested to pass the time. But this was something special, and when Mark looked at what he thought might be an artifact from the past, he did not see money nor power, but simple beauty. Anyone else would have chosen to be greedy, but Mark had pulled this stone out of place with innocent curiosity.

Of course, either way this wouldn't settle well with the guardian of this ancient artifact, who's slumber had just been disturbed for the first time in hundreds of years.


	29. Thunder (Mark and Jack) (TEASER)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teaser: A normal day at the end of the season of falling leaves is twisted into an extraordinary experience when Mark discovers a strange creature that is not of their world...

Shadows danced across his solar-protected visor as the bioluminescent greenery whipped around Jack, and the Irishman heard another boom of thunder.  _Keep moving,_ he told himself.  _Just ignore it and keep going._  But then, through the ruckus of the storm, Jack heard a soft growl. It was a wonder how he heard it, but he suddenly stiffened and became alert. He slowly turned and looked to his left. Nothing. He looked to his right more quickly. Darkness. He shivered and suddenly tried looking up. The only warning he got was, as the lightning flashed ominously, the shiny black-silver of wet feathers and fur, and harsh green-lit eyes in a muscular silhouette that blocked the fork of jumping electrons.

Jack shouted in alarm as the creature snarled and leaped off the branch. He turned to run, but the beast pounced square onto his shoulders, and long, sharp claws dug in as he was brought down. The cold blasted through Jack's body, but he hardly felt it through the blinding pain that ran down his spine and one of his legs. He screamed and rolled away, curling up in agony. The animal jumped back at his strange call and hissed. Jack screamed more as he struggled to get up. He was dimly aware of how hard his body trembled, and as lightning split across the sky again he finally saw the beast.

It was a huge, black cat. Its mane consisted of green, blue, and grey feathers, and its eyes were an electric green color that broke through the darkness. Jack looked on with terror, his breath catching in his throat as he realized that he was face to face with an alien predator. And it looked ready to sink its fangs in him.

The panther-like creature snarled and dug its claws in the dirt. Its muscles rippled under its soaked pelt, and it tensed to pounce again. Jack finally gathered his senses and broke off running, but he forgot the supply bag behind. The panther hardly gave him a headstart before Jack could hear its paws pounding against the ground. Jack panted, shivering as he staggered through the gargantuan forest. Though he was now cold and wet thanks to the large tears in his suit, his back felt extremely warm and sticky.

As Jack glanced over his shoulder to see how close the monstrous cat was, something suddenly snagged his foot. With a harsh jerk and a snap, Jack was flipped upside down, and he shot up into the air with a cry that was whipped away from him by the howling storm. He bounced a bit in the wind before the rope tightened under his weight, and he opened his eyes to see that he was hanging from a tree limb. The cat skidded to a halt under him, and his breath hitched as it paced the forest floor.

It was waiting for him.

Jack groaned and tried to look at the rope. It had grabbed his bad leg. He grit his teeth and swayed, wondering how the hell he was going to get out of this mess. Would the others find him? No, probably not. He was a long ways away from the station. And Jack refused to go back. Even if he got free now, he realized, the cat would eat him, or he would freeze to death before he could even get the hell out of Dodge.

After some time, Jack cocked his head and saw the cat watching him hungrily. He blanched. He was nothing but a piece of meat dangling in the animal's territory, and who knew what other predators were around. And it wasn't until Jack started shivering again when he realized that the storm was getting worse; lightning flashed sporadically, thunder rumbled more violently, and a cold wind gusted, making him shiver harder. He was getting dizzy from all the blood flowing to his head. He knew he needed to sit up.

He tried to reach for the rope, but he had to soon settle on grabbing his hurt leg and hoisting himself up. It hurt like hell for his leg and the tingling agony in his back, but at least Jack didn't feel like he was going to pass out. He couldn't hold himself up for very long, and so he lowered his upper half back down to see that the cat was gone. He looked around, and then paled when he noticed it climbing a nearby tree. Jack started to tremble again as it turned and looked at him with narrow, angry eyes. It growled at him and crept closer, walking out on a limb. Jack could do nothing as it roared and pounced.

He screamed as the sharp claws came in contact with his body again. The cat fell to the ground and landed on its feet, but Jack was paralyzed, yelling in agony. He felt blood stain the shirt beneath his suit as gravity worked against him, and he felt even worse than before. He licked his cold blue lips and tried to resist the urge to scream again. Instead, a pained groan escaped his tongue, and he saw the black cat coming up the tree again. He watched it desperately, praying that this wouldn't be how he died. Already his vision was starting to get blurry, and Jack was feeling very tired. The cold suddenly seemed nonexistent, and all Jack wanted to do was sleep.

But before the panther could attack again, the world suddenly shook violently. Jack gasped for breath as he was bounced in the wind, and the cat froze before lightning suddenly tore the sky and zapped one of the mushroom trees, and it burst into greedy white flames. 

 

 

 

Mark's eyes immediately snapped onto the forest as white flames erupted in the trees. " _Issen fÿre_!!!" He yelled, sounding the alarm.  _Issen fÿre_ , or Ice Fire, was a type of fire that burned so hot that not even the  _Frösting_ could smother its greedy flames. Its center burned with a tint of blue, but the outer edges licked white hot tongues that now devoured the forest and started to spread.

The camp quickly came to life as the warriors stumbled out of their tents. Children wailed as they were comforted by their mothers, and Mark could hear Kathryn already barking orders for the  _fÿre_ brigade. He felt Ethan swiftly come to his side.

"How bad is it?" Ethan squinted at the rolling cloud of white smoke.

"Bad." Tyler came up to them.

"We need to isolate the  _fÿre_ and stop it before it reaches our border," he said.

"Cha, of course." Ethan sprang away to help the others collect water buckets. Tyler turned to Mark.

"Is there anyone out of camp?" He asked solemnly. Mark shook his head.

"No." But he hesitated. Earlier, just before the storm had unleashed its hot fury, he could have sworn he had heard screaming. "But I'll check," he added, "Just in case. But if it's just a mimic, I'll come straight back." Tyler frowned.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just roll call?" He asked. "It would be much less dangerous than gallivanting into the heart of an  _issen fÿre_." Mark shook his head quickly.

"No, no I'll be fine," he insisted, "Besides, I don't get burned, remember?" Tyler looked back at the fretting tribe, and then he nodded at Mark.

"Just remember," he advised, "You do not have full control of your powers yet. Do not risk temptation, and stay out of the flames as much as you can."

"I will!" Mark turned and ran toward the forest fire. It was already much worse by now. He could hear the crackling and popping as sap burned, and as he reached the borderline of the trees he unhooked his bow and quiver and tossed them into the grass. As soon as he entered the trees, Mark felt the temperature jump. Droplets evaporated in the presence of the furious fire, and Mark spied the edge of the  _issen fÿre_  just up ahead. With a deep breath, he charged through the white flames, and he was swallowed up by foggy smoke and hellish light.

Jack, meanwhile, groaned before coughing violently. The panther-like creature was long gone, fled, but he was stuck. Stuck in the heart of the forest fire. Fog filled his lungs and dried his insides; hot, grackling flames made his blood run harder; and he was still in agony.

 _I'm gonna die, aren't I?_ He asked himself groggily. Through his delirious vision, he could see the flames edging closer to his tree: Soon, they would engulf the wood and turn him to ashes. He didn't have much time left.  _How strange, for the weather to turn from ice cold and rainy to hot and burning in the passing of a second._  Jack couldn't wrap his head around it, but then again his blood was steadily draining from his ripped flesh, and his weak pulse pounded in his ears.

Jack tried to wriggle his feet and yelled out in pain. If he fell, he would snap his neck. If he somehow survived the drop, he would have to combat mother nature. And he knew he was way too weak to even make it that far. He wanted to close his eyes and pass out before more pain could come to him, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the flames. They were beautiful. They flickered in the dark moody sky and danced in the wind, blinding Jack with their insidious light. He felt his muscles unwillingly relaxing as he slumped into a paralyzed gaze, turning numb. But as he watched, the flames suddenly wavered and took the shape of a gargantuan man. Jack's breath hitched, and he watched with breathless awe as a giant figure emerged from the fire.

Mark coughed and waved at the smoke. It was hot in here, even for him. The fire licked at his body, but it didn't burn him; he couldn't be burned, it was a gift from his ancestors. He looked through the flames and caught a faint scent of salt. He frowned and tasted the air; through the heavy fog and tumultuous winds, he could smell blood. He followed the trailing scent and entered a small clearing that had not yet been incinerated. At first, his eyes passed over the snare tree, but then he turned and found himself meeting a strange creature's veiled gaze.

Mark froze. He felt a chill shoot down his spine. The ensnared animal looked so... strange. Blood stained its pelt, but a weird black bubble covered its head. Its skin was shiny and silver, and it was dangling pathetically from a snare the hunters had set the day before.

Jack wasn't conscious enough to feel frightened. He felt numb and dazed with awe. The native studied him with flabbergast as he in turn absorbed a few tidbits. He recalled wondering why this strange man was so big, why he was covered in tattoos, and why was he wearing animal skin? Why was he here? Was he a hallucination? Were the flames toying with him? There were so many questions that would later resurface, but now Jack was losing his grip on reality. The sight of a gargantuan man emerging from the holy fires, unharmed, perplexed him too greatly.

As Mark cautiously approached, he heard the small thing groan as its head hung. Worry sparked fear, and he snapped out of his apprehension and approached quicker. He hurried up to the snare and reached up, putting his hand under Jack and breaking the rope effortlessly. Jack collapse in his hand, fitting perfectly, and Mark winced as he heard the tiny man groan again and ever so weakly stir.  _This is what was screaming before,_  Mark suddenly realized. He carefully rolled the diminutive human over on his stomach, and his pupils constricted when he saw the scarring wounds that covered the backside.

He muttered a curse, and his head snapped up when he heard crackling. His eyes widened as a flaming branch fell, and he held Jack to his chest as he rolled out of the way.  _I've got to get out of here!_ Mark cradled the mangled body with both hands to shield him from the flames and charged through the white nightmare. He coughed and ducked his head, keeping as low under the throng of smoke as he could while running through the burning trees. The  _issen fÿre_  had gotten bigger, hungrier.

Jack felt so still in his large hands, Mark was worried that the poor creature, whatever it was, was already passing into the next world. He spied an open space up ahead and churned the ground harder.  _Hang on líten häna, almost there!_  He jumped through the flames and tumbled out of the forest fire. He coughed and lay on his back, breathing hard. They were out. He made it. They were alive. Mark closed his eyes and smiled as the rain poured over him, washing the soot off his face. But then he remembered his objective and sat up, looking down at the strange creature. It was barely breathing. Mark could feel Jack's heart faintly beating, and he quickly got up.

 _I need to get it to Amy._ He spotted his bow and quiver where he left it and slung them over his shoulder. As he hurried away from the  _issen fÿre_ , he couldn't take his eyes off of the shiny creature limp in his hands.  _Should I tell Tyler?_  He suddenly wondered.  _It'd be easier if I didn't. Just say that I didn't find anyone, and not trouble him with my sympathies._ Mark felt a small prickle of guilt, but he pushed it away. It was the truth. Tyler had other things to worry about anyway.


	30. A Relic of the Past (Jack and Mark) (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After discovering an ancient gem lost in the bowels of the earth, Mark's brief good fortune comes to a swift halt when he finds himself caught red-handed by the guardian of the artifact.

Mark gazed at the gem as its softly glowing light reflected in his eyes. _It's beautiful._  He ran his hand over the smooth stone and turned it over.  _I can't believe this thing has been here, in Los Angeles, all this time! And nobody's ever found it before._ Mark looked down at his phone, which still sat on the sleeping giant's collar bone.  _I should probably get back down from here before my battery runs out._

He put the stone in his pocket and made his way back down the giant's head. It was rough, but he managed it even with his hurt leg. The landing needed some work though; right as he was making his way onto the giant's shoulder, he lost his grip and plummeted flat onto his stomach with a grunt.

"Oof!" He groaned and sat up. "Owie..." He grabbed his source of light and looked for a way safely down. Gripping the textile that covered the gargantuan shoulder, he carefully lowered his feet onto the cold ground. He shivered.  _It's a lot colder down here than it was up there._ As he looked around the base of the slope he had fallen down, looking for a way out, the phone's light suddenly turned off.

"Shit!" Mark shook his phone in hopes of getting it to turn back on, but it was no use. It was dead. _Oh well._ He sighed and took the stone out, putting the phone in its place. _I guess I'll just have to use this thing's light to-_

Mark's thoughts came to a screeching halt when he suddenly heard something rumble. He tensed and looked up, worried that there would be another cave-in. But instead, he felt fabric brush against him, and he slowly turned around to see what was going on. He almost dropped the stone in shock. The giant was moving.

 _He's waking up!_ Mark felt panic rise up in him, and he wheeled about on his good heel to desperately look for a place to hide. But when he turned to look at the giant again, he realized with alarm that he was stuck in a corner. He was trapped in by the giant's shoulder, which was now moving as the beast gradually woke. The giant slowly turned over on his side, and a sleepy rumble made Mark's bones vibrate. He started shaking as the gargantuan entity's head came close, but his eyes were still closed. Mark backed up as the giant relaxed on his side, almost crushing the stranded man with his sheer size. Mark felt his back hit the cold wall and froze. He watched with horror as the giant stilled. And then silence came over the cavern.

Mark waited. He held his breath. The breathing was definitely faster. He wondered if it was too late to find a way out, but then the giant's eyes slowly opened. Mark's own eyes widened in awe. The huge eyes were a dazzling crystal blue, though they were partially concealed by the eyelids that still drooped tiredly. The giant blinked once, and then a second time, and then his eyes stretched all the way open. The blue light emanating from the mystical irises matched the intensity of the gem's, but Mark forgot about the stone. He forgot about his leg, and he forgot about escaping this cave as he stared deep into those eyes. He wasn't sure what was going on, or why he was so drawn, but he was being hypnotized by the eyes of the guardian of the ancient gem; they were two individual moons with such intriguing light that washed over Mark and bathed the cave in a watery glow.

The eyes lazily skipped over Mark as the giant lifted his head up and looked around. Mark was still enraptured, and he stood numbly in the corner, still holding the stone. The moonlit eyes locked in on the glow, and the giant slowly turned to face Mark. They narrowed to slits, and the guardian's lips peeled back to reveal sharper than usual canines.  _Holy...!_ Mark felt a warning screaming in the back of his mind, but he couldn't summon the strength to move. He watched as the giant growled and leaned closer, and the immense guardian cocked his head at the intruding thief.

"Carson a ghoid thu an orb, mèirleach?" Every vowel the beast uttered came out in a gutteral rumble, and if Mark was in control of hisself then he would have fallen over at the sheer force of these words. But he was struggling just to think. He couldn't take his eyes off of the giant.  _What language is that? I've never heard it before... then again, all I know is four years of Spanish class._ But Mark suddenly looked down at the orb sitting in his hand. _Wait! He said orb! He must be angry that I took it._

"I... I'm sorry," Mark heard his voice come out as slow and weary as honey. The giant leaned closer, baring his pearly white teeth. "I-I didn't mean to... to steal... I-I..." Mark's eyelids drooped. The blue was overtaking his vision. He was being swallowed up in the light of the great beast's eyes. And as he stared into them, his strangled thoughts slowly focused into a sentence that sounded like gibberish to him:

_"Chan eil mi a 'ciallachadh cron sam bith."_

His vision went white, and then Mark blinked as it faded to normal. He was suddenly back in control of his body again. He looked down at the gem, and then his legs shook with the threat to collapse. Mark fell to his hands and knees, clutching the artifact to his chest. As he gasped for breath, the air around him rose in temperature, and he stiffened as he felt the giant touch him on the back with his nose tip. A hot breath washed over the accidental thief, making him flinch. He didn't dare look up at the rows of teeth that could crush him.

He suddenly heard a low rumble, and the giant turned his head and nuzzled Mark with his cheek. He was almost bowled over by this, shocked. Why was the guardian suddenly acting like this _? I don't get it. I took something that wasn't mine, and then he babbled in some language, and I heard those other words, and now he's acting like a kitten. He's fucking purring!_ Mark looked up at the giant, who watched him now with his glowing eyes half closed.  _Maybe it was that mumbo jumbo I heard in my head. Did I somehow say that? But what did it mean? I really hope it wasn't an insult._

Mark held the orb up. He noticed the giant's pupils shrink a little in its light, and his eyes opened a little wider as he studied the human's every move. "I-I'm really sorry," he said hoarsely. "It belongs to you, not me." And with that, he tossed the gem up into the air. The giant moved so quickly. He twisted around and snapped his teeth around the artifact before Mark could even blink. The human was on his back again, and he watched as the guardian shook his head before throwing it back and swallowing. There was a flash of green in the giant's throat, and then it was gone.

"Yuck..." Mark shuddered. _I hope that won't be me next._  All of the wrinkles in the giant's countenance smoothed out as he relaxed, and he yawned languidly in the shadows before turning to Mark. His eyes were the only source of light Mark had left, but he avoided its paralyzing gaze and tried to get up. He tried to use the wall to help himself up, but the ledge was too high up. He grit his teeth and strained to reach a support, but just as he sighed and gave up, two large fingers suddenly pinched his arm and pulled him onto his feet. Mark yelped a little and staggered, favoring his good leg. His arm was carefully let go of, and Mark rubbed his wrist before looking up at the giant.

"Th-thanks," he said quietly. The guardian rumbled sleepily and turned over on his stomach, and he let his cheek rest on the floor as he gave a massively intimidating yawn. Mark shied back, but then he hobbled up to the immense beast as he closed his eyes. "Do you have a name?" Mark was surprised by his own question, but then he offered a friendly smile. "Mine's Mark," he offered. The giant opened one eye. Mark tried not to look directly into it again and instead focused on the notch that once held the artifact.

"Is e mo ainm Jack?" The giant thundered ponderously. Mark frowned.

"I don't... I don't understand what..." He sighed. "I don't know if you can understand me or not, but-"

"Jack," the guardian insisted. Mark paused.

"Oh. That's your name?"

"Tha."

"I'll assume that was a yes..." Mark cleared his throat. "Well, uh... nice-nice to meet you, Jack." The giant purred and nuzzled Mark again. Mark staggered a bit since he was off guard, and then a nervous laugh escaped his chest. "Okay." He rubbed Jack's nose. The guardian closed his eyes as a low rumbling coursed through the cavern, and Mark realized that the strange entity was purring again. _Either I'm dead, or I hit my head really hard. I can't believe this is happening! But somehow it is. Who is he, though? And why is he here? Why was that stone in his forehead? Was he cursed in an eternal sleep because of it?  Or maybe it was like Vision's scenario from Marvel. Or maybe..._ The more Mark thought about it, the more confused he got.

"Hey, Jack?" Jack tilted his head. "Um, I was wondering... see, there was a cave-in, uh, earlier, and it stranded me in here and separated me from my friend Ethan. You think maybe you could help me bust out of here?" The giant watched Mark for a few seconds. Mark wondered if Jack even knew what he was saying, but just when he was about to tell the gargantuan guardian to forget it, Jack started getting up. Mark exclaimed under his breath and backed up, and he watched with wide eyes as the giant sat up to almost half of his true height. The top of his hair brushed against the ceiling as he looked down at Mark and rumbled. And then he turned to the slope the human had fallen down through and growled.

A huge fist suddenly soared through the air and smashed into the rock, making Mark gasp. Jack punched his confines again, and the world shuddered as it bore the giant's rage. "Whoa, wait!" Mark exclaimed, "What are you doing!? The whole place will collapse if-" to his surprise, the slope cracked and tumbled into the bottom of the pit, breaking off in ragged chunks. Jack shook his hand and sucked on one of his irritated knuckles. Mark stared at the enlarged opening, and then he slowly turned to the giant.

"... Remind me to never get on your bad side," he murmured. Jack grunted at him and reached down to the human. Mark yelped as two fingers pinched his waist and swooped him up high into the dark air. He squirmed a little, uncomfortable that he was being lifted up so high above the ground with zero control. By the time Jack wrapped his hand around the small human and held him against his chest, Mark was clinging to one of the giant's fingers like his life depended on it.  _He's not even standing yet!_ The thought made Mark shudder as Jack growled and tried to move around in the small cavern. His head bumped into the ceiling rock, making him duck and hiss something in that strange language. He finally managed to pivot around and stuck his hand down the long tunnel, and so he leaned forward and crawled into the winding darkness.

The guardian still held Mark to his chest as he awkwardly dragged himself through the cold darkness. Mark shivered and buried his face in Jack's shirt, cold and unsure what was happening. It wasn't until Jack reached the front chamber of the cave that Mark looked up, and his eyes widened.

"Oh, shit," he breathed. The cave-in was worse than he'd thought. The rocks were a massive and jagged pile blocking the way out.  _I should have been crushed. I should be dead._  A tremor ran through Mark's body.  _I survived by sheer, dumb luck._ Jack leaned forward to sniff the rubble, and he growled suspiciously. "Yeah, that's the way out," he told the giant, "But then..." He trailed off and hung his head with a worried sigh. His agitated silence was only given a few seconds before he heard Jack rumble softly and nuzzle him. Mark looked up and smiled a little. The giant purred and nuzzled him again, giving him an encouraging nudge and snuggling the young man.

Mark couldn't help but giggle at the guardian's childish behavior. "Thanks, Jack," he murmured. The hopeful glisten in his eyes had been restored.

"Th... thanks..." Mark's eyes widened as Jack awkwardly echoed the English word back at him.

"Uh, y-yeah." He grinned. "N-no problem, buddy." Jack purred, pleased that he had used the word correctly. Mark glanced at the blocked cave entrance, and then he slumped comfortably in the giant's sloped hand. "How about I try to teach you a few more words before I go?" He offered. "In case someone else comes to visit, so that way you won't scare the shit out of them like you did me." Jack let out an amused rumble.

"Tha!"

 

 

 

 

"Is the excavation team on its way yet?" Ethan demanded.

"Yeah, but it'll be another quarter of an hour before they get here." Amy stifled a sob and leaned against Tyler.

"Will Mark be okay until then?" She asked worriedly. Tyler bit his lip.

"I'm sure he's just fine. He's strong, and way too stubborn to get himself hurt. Not to mention he's already been in there for three hours," he assured. But Amy wept and ran away to huddle on a spot on the couch beside the window. Kathryn shot him a withering look. "What? Im serious! He'll be fine," Tyler argued. She said nothing and simply turned to try and console Amy. "What did I say wrong?" He looked to Ethan for any notion, but Ethan wasn't paying attention since he was too worried about Mark. "Women," Tyler muttered under his breath. But he meant nothing by it. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted. They all were. They were running on the fumes of fear and anxiety for their stranded friend, and they were doing all they could to get help as soon as possible.

"What's taking them so long!?" Ethan finally exploded and wailed, covering his eyes. The stone expression on Tyler carved deeper into a worried scowl.

"Today is a holiday," he reminded with an empty voice. "And they were all scattered across the place, is what the guy on the phone said."

"I don't care if it's a holiday! Mark needs our help!" Ethan cried. Tyler stood silently as the poor blue bean sobbed into his hoodie's sleeves; then he walked over to him and pulled him into a consoling hug.

"It'll be okay," he murmured. "Everything's going to be all right, okay? We just gotta have faith."


	31. Phantoms of Hope (Nate and Mat+Steph) (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Stephanie sick again, it's up to Mat to make sure she's nurtured back to health; but she needs medicine borrowed from the houseowner's cabinets, and Mat's been noticing the human's behavior spiraling into debilitating disheartenment. Can he get to the bottom of it before something happens?

"Steph, no!" Mat exclaimed. "You are not getting out of that bed!"

"But Mat..." Stephanie groaned as the male borrower lay her back down on the bed. "The chores... and we need food!" But Mat shook his head at whatever excuses she tried to dig up.

"No buts about it. You are not getting out of bed." When Stephanie tried to protest again, a coughing fit took over her. Mat sighed and embraced his wife, and pain brimmed in his eyes as he listened to the exhausting coughs.

"But what about the salt?" Stephanie continued in her hoarse voice.

"I'll take care of it." Mat suppressed his own coughing and disguised it as a simple clearing his throat exercise.

"And the other spices?"

"Stephanie, relax! It's just a borrowing spree, and we only need a few things. Besides, the human's asleep right now. I haven't heard his footsteps for a couple of hours." Stephanie groaned.

"I don't like this plan." She studied Mat with narrow eyes, and then she let out a tired yawn. "Promise me you'll be careful?" She finally sighed. Mat nodded.

"Of course!" After a bit more talking, he finally got Stephanie to lay down and try to rest. He kissed her forehead and tucked her in, and then he went into their main room to gather their borrowing supplies.  _Let's see... fishing tackle, check. Backpack, check- oops, there's still some thyme in that pocket. Oh well, at least it doesn't go bad._  Mat's thoughts drifted as he gathered everything he needed. He felt bad about not telling Steph that he too was sick, but he knew that if she knew, then she would give him a piece of her mind.

 _She'll rest better if she doesn't worry about me._  Mat took a deep breath and quietly left the cozy makeshift walls of what they had come to call home. Their home sweet home was concealed in the wall behind a large bookshelf, and the various books placed on those shelves hid the tiny hole that led to their labyrinth. It was at this hidden entrance that Mat now emerged from, and he looked around carefully before stepping out from behind the organized string of manga books.

 _Okay, what do I need first?_ Mat assessed his necessities and decided on bread first. He stuck to the wall and carefully made his way across the living room, with his ears strained for any incoming dangers and his eyes peeled for any sudden approaches. Whenever he needed to cough, he did it as quietly and muffled as much as possible, hoping the human wouldn't hear. To his relief, he made it all the way into the kitchen without any sign of the human, but that also made him nervous.  _Is he just laying in bed again? Did he even eat?_  Mat sighed. Humans were so strange, no matter how hard he tried to understand them. He didn't get what was wrong. The household owner was losing his scheduled timings, and it was getting harder for Mat to find chances to get what they needed without taking too many risks. But today would have to be one of those days. He couldn't afford waiting any longer to get the medicine. Stephanie needed it.

Mat found the pantry door slightly ajar as usual, and so he hooked his way up onto the third shelf and collected his bits of bread. When he had as much as his pack could carry, he made his way onto the other side of the kitchen, and he was soon climbing up precariously into the spices cabinet. "Ok, salt... pepper... seasoning... basil... don't need thyme..." Mat murmured to himself as he went through the assorted spices and herbs, collecting what they needed. He was careful to not make a mess, not even coughing on any of the precious seasonings, and he left the bottles in the exact same position as they had been left. It was an extra precaution, however, because lately the human had been too drowsy to hardly notice anything.

 _I wonder what he's sick with._ Mat pondered their house owner's affliction as he finally approached the medicine cabinets. He flung his hook with pristine accuracy and started climbing up the anchored string. When he was high up enough, he swung his weight from side to side until he had enough momentum to pull the cabinet door open a crack. He set his feet on solid ground and sighed, looking around the dark shelf for the right medicine. _Let's see..._ He weaved through the tightly packed bottles and studied their labels. "Not that one," he murmured, "Nope... definitely not... ah!" As Mat went to unscrew the lid, his elbow bopped into one of the front row bottles. His eyes widened as it bounced back as light as a leaf and crashed, and he heard the pills loosely rattling as it rolled toward the edge.

"Shoot!" Mat ran forward and grabbed the lid before it could fall off. He teetered near the edge, still shocked by how light this bottle was.  _Since when did he start using these?_ Puzzled, he righted it in its original place and peered at the label. _I thought so. These are antidepressants._  Now Mat was invested heavily.  _Why would he be taking antidepressants?_ But as he turned to his bottle, he suddenly heard a light switch flick on and froze. Slow, heavy footsteps meandered across the hard floor, and Mat sucked in a sharp breath.  _Crap, crap!_ He ducked behind a bottle just before the cabinet door swung open. He shielded his eyes at the bright light that flooded in and kept himself as small as possible as a huge hand reached into the cabinet.

A tickle in his throat threatened to give him away. Mat covered his mouth and held his breath as one of the outstretched fingers nudged the bottle he was behind. He heard a drowsy mumble from the owner of the hand before the fingers finally clamped down on the antidepressants. The human removed the bottle from the shelf, and Mat heard the lid unscrewing.

"Damn it," the house owner muttered, "Almost out." Mat frowned. The gears in his tiny head were turning rapidly, and he was starting to wonder more about the human; but that was a dangerous thing to do. Curiosity was always bad with borrowers, whether it's the tiny folk that were curious or the humans. The human downed two pills with a glass of water and slammed the bottle back in an empty spot on the shelf, making Mat flinch, and the door slammed shut. Mat winced and rubbed his ears.

 _That... was way too close._  He pawed at his ears in an attempt to recover his hearing sooner, but they were stilling ringing from the loud boom of the door.  _I need to hurry up and get out of here!_ Mat scurried to the medicine and collected a pill as quickly as he could. He pushed it back into its spot and hurried to the thin outline of light. He pushed against the door, trying to open it just a little.  _Come on!_  He coughed and put his whole weight into it.  _Just... a little... more-_

"Whoa!" The door suddenly flew open, and the next thing Mat knew he was falling in open air.  _No!_ Mat blindly reached out for something to stop his fall. He felt the light ticklish weight of the string, and he immediately grasped it. His fall slowed, but his hands burned intensely. Mat gasped in pain and almost let go again, but he clung to the string like his life depended on it. His body heaved against gravity as the motion came to a sharp halt, and he yelped as his backpack put a strain on his shoulders.

"Ugh." Mat groaned and coughed, feeling a little dizzy with adrenaline. But then he sighed, relieved.  _That was close._ He opened his eyes and looked to see how to get down, only to freeze as horror flashed over his countenance. The human was a foot away from him, holding an open bottle of painkillers in one hand and his glass in the other. He was staring at Mat with a confused expression, and unlike Mat's expected reaction he wasn't screaming or running around trying to kill him. He almost appeared dazed instead of shocked as he regarded the borrower. But still, Mat's muscles turned to jelly. His brilliant mind was melting, and he almost let go of his lifestring in shock.  _I've been seen._  Mat was locked in a staring contest. He couldn't look away, too afraid to let the human pull something. But then, he made an incredibly dumb mistake.

"Uh, don't-don't mind me," Mat blurted, "I-I'm just hanging around!" He immediately cursed himself as a wave of fear rolled over him.  _Idiot! Don't talk to him! Now's not the time for jokes._ The human's brow quirked at his words.

"I... um..." The house owner swallowed and looked around. He set the items down and pinched his skin, seeming to question whether he was hallucinating or not... again. "I think there are better ways to 'hang around'," he finally said. But then the words finally seemed to cross his mind, and he laughed a little. Mat's brow furrowed, confused.  _That wasn't a pity laugh, was it? I mean, at least he's laughing and not trying to kill me, but that sounded a little forced._  "Here, how about I...?" Mat's eyes widened when he was suddenly swung around, and he grunted as gravity eagerly swept him up. He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting to fall, but instead his feet touched the cold ground. He blinked and looked to see that he was standing on the counter, and his hook was beside him. Mat dropped the string and checked his hands: They were red and irritated from the burn.

"Th-thanks," Mat said unsurely.

"Sure." The human brought up a chair and sat in front of the borrower, peering at the tiny man that had infiltrated his kitchen. "I'm Nate," he grunted.

"M-Mat." Mat's tone was wary as he stifled a cough. Nate's voice sounded empty as well, as though he felt no emotion. What was wrong with this human? "Um..." He looked up at the cabinets again, struggling to connect the dots.

"What were you doing up there?" Nate's eyes followed Mat's gaze. Mat gulped, suddenly panicking.

"Oh, u-uh, nothing!" He let out a nervous laugh. "Just, uh, y-you know, exercising, I mean... who doesn't climb tackle everyday?"

"I don't," Nate said in a matter-of-fact tone. Mat sighed and scratched his head.

"Okay, you've got me there," he admitted. He ruffled his hair and rolled his shoulders. "Alright, fine. I'm sorry... the truth is, I-I was borrowing." Nate's brow furrowed, and he leaned closer.

"Borrowing?" He echoed blankly.

"Yeah, that's why we're called borrowers, you know? Collecting things we need from humans like you, like..."

"Like stealing?" Mat flinched at the s-word.

"No!" He replied defensively, "Stealing is taking things you want. Borrowing is when we only take things that we need." Nate squinted at the fascinating man for a few good seconds.

"That's still stealing," he said slowly. Mat huffed good-naturedly and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Is not!" He squeaked. The corners of Nate's mouth twitched; a ghost of a smile tugged on his lips.

"Okay, okay, fine," he conceded, "Apparently you feel very strongly about that." Mat relaxed.

"Well, I shouldn't expect you to understand," he sympathized, "You're not even suppose to know I'm here..." The words died on his tongue, and his mouth suddenly felt dry. According to the rules of the borrower, he was suppose to pack up and leave now that his existence had been discovered. _I can't do that! Stephanie's too sick to be moved, and it's the middle of fall!_ Nate seemed to be picking up on Mat's anxiety.

"Let me guess," he sighed hollowly, "I wasn't suppose to find you, and now you have to leave forever?" Mat blinked.

"U-um... w-well..." He started awkwardly, worried that Nate would try to capture him. But Nate simply shook his head and handed the borrower his hook and string with a trembling hand.

"It's fine. Just go." Mat watched with disbelief as Nate stood, grabbed his things, and left the kitchen. As soon as the bedroom door shut, the borrower felt his legs almost give out, both relieved and confused.  _What just happened? Why did he go? Why did he spare me?_ Mat turned around and frowned at the medicine cabinet, which was still wide open and missing a bottle. He wrapped the string in his hands up into a neat loop, and he hesitantly turned away as he sought out a way down.  _Something's up with him. I'm not sure what, but I need to get to the bottom of it. Maybe if I find out what's wrong, I can help him, and then Steph and I won't have to leave!_ But for now, he had a sick wife to take care of, and Stephanie came first before any human; she was number one priority.  _Maybe once she's better, then I can begin my little investigation. I have to get to the bottom of this._


	32. Happy Fourth of July! (Mark and Jack)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark comes up with the genius idea of taking his pocket-sized friend to a fireworks demonstration for the Fourth of July. Good job, old friend.

"Mark?" Jack swung his legs over the end table's edge as he watched the human pull on his jacket. "I still don't get it," he ventured, "Where are we going? To see the uh... the...?"

"To see the fireworks!" Mark said these words like Jack should know what that meant. That only made the small Irishman even more worried, and confused.

"Fire... works?" He echoed, frowning at the strange word. Mark stopped and gave Jack an alarmed look.

"Yeah, the fireworks. You know? For-for fourth of July, Independence Day-" he stopped and suddenly dropped his jaw as his eyes widened. "Wait a minute. You don't know what fireworks are!?" He gasped. Jack shrugged, caving in a little.

"Well- If I did, I wouldn't be asking." Mark dropped his shoes and dropped to his knees to meet Jack's gaze at his eye level.

"Seriously? You've never heard of them?" Jack shied back and tried to defend himself.

"I never got out much before I met ya, okay!" He could feel his cheeks starting to burn as the embarrassment set in. What was so important about these fireworks? What was so special about the fourth of July? Was it like Christmas? But where were the decorations?

Mark pinched his nose and pushed his glasses, wondering how the hell he was suppose to explain such a popular holiday. "It's kind of like Christmas," he began slowly, "Except there's no tree or decorations. Instead, we celebrate with picnics or grilled foods, and fireworks and all that kind of stuff. There's firecrackers, hot dogs, even ice cream if you want..." Jack was still clueless. He knew what picnics and the foods were, but he had never heard of firecrackers before.

"That sounds dangerous," the borrower remarked.

"It could be, if not done right. But there's precautions that are taken, and if something does happen then the fire fighters will take care of it," Mark assured. "So far, I've never seen the fireworks go wrong."

"I guess that's good," Jack mumbled, shifting his weight nervously. He wasn't so sure about this.

"Hey, Amy!" Mark briefly went into the living room to chat with his girlfriend. "Can you make sure Chica doesn't get too spooped?"

"Already got the blanket fort set up," came the female's reply. "You don't need to worry about her, just make sure to be back before the rain comes in; they're doing the fireworks a little bit earlier to beat the showers."

"Okay, thanks Amy." Jack felt a small jolt of guilt. He's willing to leave Chica here at home just to take me to see these fireworks?

"Thank you," he murmured out loud as Mark returned. The young man frowned.

"What for?" He asked. Jack bashfully studied the floor far below, even though it gave him a jolt of adrenaline to remind him how tiny he was.

" 'Cause yer helping me learn so much about humans and yer traditions and holidays and etiquette codes and-" Mark smiled and crouched to the borrower's eye level again.

"Jack, you don't need to thank me. I should be thanking you!" He laughed. "You've really taught me how I should always try to keep my spirits up, and to always look on the bright side of things! You've made me a better person, so the least I can do is take you to a simple little fireworks demonstration." Jack was pretty sure his entire face was beet-red.

"M-mark... I... Wow." He laughed a little and messed with his hair. "Stop it, yer embarrassing me!" The little Irishman finally chuckled. Mark chuckled back and rose to his full height.

"Come on then, leprechaun," he teased, "Let's go before we miss them!" Jack chortled and punched Mark's thumb.

"Who ya callin' a leprechaun, Mr. I'm-Four-Foot-Two?"

 

 

 

The drive wasn't terribly long. Without traffic, it might have even been only a ten minute drive. But instead, Jack's poor, sensitive little ears were raped with the horrifying sounds of honking, shouting, cursing, beeping, and all of the bad noises of any irritated human driving in the evening. It got so bad that Mark had to muffle them all for Jack by putting his hand over the borrower, until they were out of the thick of it.

Then, finally, Mark pulled the car into a parking lot that was filled with people and vehicles alike. Many wielded umbrellas in hand, prepared for the foretold rain showers, and lots wore jackets to battle the wind. Mark zipped his own jacket up before he checked on Jack.

"We're here." Jack stirred and sat up to see the steams of light from all the cars and trucks, which illuminated the darkness and gave the borrower a sense of anxiety.

"This looks like where ye go to get murdered," he whispered gravely. Mark laughed and turned off the engine.

"Who knows? The legendary buttstabber might take a victim tonight," he said in an equally solemn tone. Jack giggled, albeit nervously, as Mark pushed the car door open and climbed out. He took a huff of the cool air and was immediately met with a blast of chilly wind. Jack shivered and snuggled his cozy shelter.

"I can't believe it's this cool in LA," he remarked.

"I know, right? It's hard to imagine the weather like this every day, but it's actually nice compared to the norm." Jack nodded, but when he opened his mouth to speak the world suddenly vibrated as a massive boom clapped in their ears. Jack flinched, startled, but Mark looked up eagerly. "It's starting!" He whispered excitedly, "Looks like we made it just in time." But Jack wasn't looking. He was huddled at the bottom of the pocket, curled up in a ball and covering his ears. With each bang and blast he cringed, not even aware of what was happening until Mark finally realized Jack wasn't settling in very well.

"Jack?" Mark stuck his thumb in his pocket and brushed the borrower's head. "You okay?" Jack flinched when he was touched and took a nervous breath.

"It's-it's really loud," he admitted. Mark frowned and tried to think of a solution; when he came up with one, he turned and got back into the car and pulled Jack out of his pocket. The little Irishman flinched again at another boom, but Mark gently shushed him and set his small friend down on the dashboard.

"Here, let's try this." Mark carefully pinched Jack's head, covering his ears. Jack stopped shaking and blinked as he realized he could no longer hear, and he reached up and made contact with the human's nail. His head was ever so delicately tilted up, and Jack's breath caught in his throat as a firework exploded in the night sky. It was beautiful. Colors of all sorts burst out in gorgeous clouds of fairy dust, winking in the darkness before fading. There were golds and reds and greens, and all the other colors. With his sensitive body, Jack could still feel the faint vibrations of the fireworks going off, but thanks to Mark he couldn't hear them going off and feel scared.

Jack only felt like he had been watching them for a minute before the fireworks started to go off even more, signaling the nearing end of the display. He hesitated, and then he reached up and tapped Mark's hand. Mark looked down and got the memo, and so he slowly pulled his hand away. Jack glanced up at him and tapped his own shoulder, and Mark's eyes widened a little.

"Are you sure?" The borrower nodded confidently, so Mark got out of the car again with Jack sitting on his shoulder like a parrot. Initially, Jack still found himself wincing as the fireworks continued to rapid-fire, but he eventually relaxed and leaned against Mark's neck for comfort. The human continued watching with his diminutive friend, but he smiled a little and tilted his head slightly toward the borrower.

And then, as quickly as they had started, the last firework lit up the sky with a lovely cloud of glittering gold, and then it faded out of existence. People started back to their cars and pulled out of parking to go home for the night. Mark put his hand close to Jack and checked on the borrower's well-being.

"You okay Jack?" He asked.

"That was awesome!" The borrower declared. Mark chuckled and leaned against the car.

"You weren't scared?" He teased. Jack huffed and stuck his lithe chest out.

"Nah! Ain't nothing gonna scare ol' Jackaboy," he lied with a nervous laugh. Mark let it slide and let Jack climb into his hand.

"Really? Not even me?" He joked. Jack wrinkled his nose.

"On second thought, yeah, yer terrifying." Mark laughed and got back into the car.

"Well, all right then." He seated his passenger back in his pocket before pulling the keys out and turning on the ignition. He noted to himself that Jack still jumped a little when the engine roared to life, but he knew he could only imagine how big and scary the world was for him.  _I'm proud of him,_  Mark decided with a faint smile.  _He may be a noisy little guy, but I got him through one of the loudest holidays. Probably should have known that the fireworks would be too loud for him, good job me._ As they made their way through the honeycombs of the city, Mark looked down to check on the tiny man.

"Aww." He smiled softly. Jack was curled up and dozing off already; which was excellent, considering the borrower was so used to being up all night. It was nice to finally see him falling out of his old schedule and adjusting to a more healthy one. Mark turned to focus on the road, but he gave his pocket a gentle pat.  _Happy fourth of July, little guy._


	33. Phantoms of Hope (Nate and Mat+Steph) (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his close encounter with Nate, Mat has been fixatedly determined to figure out what on earth is going on with the human. But he isn't sure whether he'll get answers, or only even more questions...

"Good morning Steph!" Mat said cheerfully. Stephanie smiled tiredly as she made her way to the table.

"Morning," she replied sleepily.

"I found some honey yesterday, you want that?"

"Sure." Mat pulled out two neatly cut slices of bread and opened the small container of honey. He carefully poured a few drops of the precious, gooey liquid on the slices and then made sure the lid closed. Stephanie yawned and murmured her thanks as she was handed her sweetened bread. She took a bite and hummed approvingly.

"How are you feeling today?" Mat asked, taking bites out of his own share.

"Well," Steph gestured at her throat, "I was feeling like I was gargling gravel, but good call on getting honey." Mat nodded appreciatively. It had been three days since the house owner, Nate, had discovered Mat, but it had also been three days since Mat decided to soon begin a study of the human. He was mystified by Nate's strange behavior lately, and he wanted to investigate, but Stephanie had been sick. However, now that she was better enough to get up and walk around without coughing so much, Mat decided that today he could begin his secret mission.

"Well, I'm gonna go out and scout for some more rarities," Mat told Steph as soon as he was done eating, grabbing his borrowing pack. His wife watched him with alarm.

"Is it safe?" She fretted. "I mean, we don't really need anything at the moment, do we?"

"I'm just going to look for things like cookie crumbs, or anything Na- the human, might have left out." Mat felt his heart squeeze a bit when he almost accidentally called the human by name. The last thing Stephanie needed to know was that Mat had already been seen while she was bedridden.

"Okay," Stephanie agreed hesitantly. He went over to her and kissed her on the head.

"I'll be back before you know it," he promised. Stephanie ruffled his hair and playfully nudged him.

"You better!" Though the look in her eyes was serious, she still smiled at him as he nodded and headed out. She turned to her breakfast and hoped, prayed, that her husband would return home safe and sound.

Behind the door, Mat hesitated before letting go of the handle and finally turning away to head through the tunnels. But he didn't take his usual route. He took a sharp left and continued up a sloped tunnel until it ended behind a desk in the house. Mat slipped out of the hidden area and sidled along the wall, keeping in the desk's shadow and taking a look around the room. This was Nate's bedroom. Beside the large and messy desk was a guitar sitting in its stand, and across the room was the bed. The bed's covers, however, were messily splayed over a figure under them: Nate was still asleep.

Mat took a nervous breath and then slowly emerged from behind the desk. Soft snoring rolled gently through the air as the borrower approached. He was astounded by how deep under the covers the house owner was, as all he could see from his place on the floor were the tips of the top of Nate's hair. Mat walked up to the bedside and craned his neck as he analyzed the situation. _Okay, he's asleep. So now what? The borrower took a few steps back and looked at the nightstand. Maybe I can get up on that, and then..._

And then what?

Mat decided to just take it one step at a time. He pulled out his hook and swung it, watching as it sailed through the air and caught on to the drawer handle. He went up to its side and started climbing, and he made his way all the way up onto the top. As he waited to catch his breath, Mat looked around and noticed that the clock's alarm was off.  _Well, at least when I got up here I didn't alarm it._ Mat wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "No, bad joke, bad Mat," he muttered, smiling a little. He turned around and set his sights on the mound under the covers. Nate had fallen asleep lying on his stomach, and the entire left side of his face was squished into the pillows as he slowly breathed in and out.

Mat, amused, got up and went to the edge of the end table. He didn't say anything, just sat on the edge and watched the human with innocent curiosity.  _Why do humans try to kill borrowers?_ He suddenly wondered.  _Is it because we're so small that they think we don't have consciences too? Or that they think they own the whole house to themselves, so when they see one of us running around their brains automatically categorize us as vermin?_ There were so many questions and theories Matthew Patrick had about humans, that even the ones from his childhood started rushing over him.  _Could we ever be friends? Or actual roommates?_  Mat almost laughed out loud when he remembered asking his parents if borrowers and humans could be friends. He'd gotten a strict talking to, but the question still lingered there in the back of his mind. So what if there was a huge height gap between them? They both had thoughts, dreams, expectations, goals, emotions, love, tragedy, loss, families and friends, lives... What made them so different?

Mat didn't realize he was daydreaming until he noticed that the snoring had stopped. He blinked and looked as the covers shifted, and Nate groaned a little as he rolled over. Mat shied back, experiencing a flicker of fear before he decided to ignore it.  _No. I need to test these questions,_ he realized, _Nate spared my life the other day. I need to know why. What makes him different from other humans?_

Mat waited patiently as Nate slowly woke. The human slowly opened his eyes and squinted, scowling at the sunlight that seeped through the window. He let out a groggy yawn and practically rolled out of bed, and he then stretched before meandering off to the kitchen. It took Mat a few seconds to process what had just happened, before he realized that Nate had completely missed him. He shuddered and wiped his forehead, feeling both relieved and anxious.  _Okay, wow, I didn't realize I'd be this nervous. Just follow him into the kitchen, say hi there. He was nice before, hopefully he'll be nice again_. But even as he made his way back down to the floor and hurried after Nate, his heart still hammered in his chest.

Nate shuffled into the kitchen, grabbed a box of cereal and carried on to pour himself a bowlful. Mat kept along the edge of the dining room, frowning as Nate help himself to breakfast.  _That's not very nutritious. And what happened to him humming?_ The borrower remembered, back when he first moved in with Steph, the human humming a very catchy tune as he scrambled some eggs and bacon for a hearty breakfast. He seemed so light and carefree back then... so what was wrong now?

 _Depression?_  The idea caught Mat off guard and sent him into a conversation with his own mind.  _Wait, why would a human be depressed? He's got nothing to be sad about! He has a roof over his head, food, clean water, a warm place to sleep, and he doesn't have to worry about his life possibly ending every minute of every day. Well, maybe he lost someone? A relative died? But that's how life works, you can't just go and quit your own life because someone else's ended. That's not fair to yourself!_  Mat shook his head and covered his ears.

"Urrgh!" He grunted, "You humans are so lucky in every way possible and you don't even know it!" He saw Nate freeze and winced. _Oops._  Mat dropped his hands to his sides and watched as Nate looked over in his direction. The human swallowed his mouthful and slowly set the spoon down.

"Hello?" He asked uncertainly. Mat sighed.  _Okay, just stay calm. Just be nice. Don't give him any reason to be angry, all right?_ He braced himself and slowly stepped out from behind the table leg. It took Nate a few seconds before his eyes finally locked on Mat's small figure, and he stared for a good five seconds before pinching his arm again.

"Oh," was all he said, "It's you." He slowly walked over to the borrower, but then he stopped a meter away and crouched down, biting his lower lip. Mat studied the human for any signs of trickery or aggression, but he found none.

"Hi again," he finally said, smiling nervously. Nate nodded tersely.

" 'Sup?" And then they were both silent. Neither knew how to deal with the situation. What to say? What to do? "... So," Nate tried, "Did, uh... that medicine help you?" Mat nodded.

"Yeah, thanks," he answered quickly. Silence again. Mat squirmed, uncomfortable under the heavy weight of the quiet. Then he decided he couldn't bear the suspense any longer. "Um, I-I wanted to ask you something," he blurted. The human's facial features quirked with surprise.

"Really?" He sounded confused. "About what, exactly?"

"I... I, erm..." Mat found his thumbs twiddling on their own as he shuffled his feet. "I-I wanted to ask why..." His voice dropped lower and lower into an awkward mumble, "Why you didn't... y-you know... capture me?"

"Why would I capture you?" Nate shifted back on his hindquarters and crossed his legs. "There's no point to it." Mat winced a little.

"W-well, I've heard all the stories about how humans catch people like me because of our size, because we supposedly 'pose a question nobody's ever asked before,' that sort of thing."

"But... you're not real." Nate was frowning now. "You're just a figment of my imagination." Mat felt his heart stop in his chest. Not real? What!?

"I-I am real, though." His voice quavered with confusion. Nate looked at the borrower sadly.

"Oh." His voice became husky. "I just burst your bubble, didn't I? Fuck, I... I'm so sorry, I... I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean... I didn't mean to... to..." And then the human put his head in his hands and started to cry. Mat stood there, dumbfounded.  _Did I just make a human cry? Me?_ He wasn't sure what to do; what could he do? The young grown adult was hunched over, sobbing into the floor, at the complete mercy of someone who was the same size as his finger.

Mat felt his throat tighten with anxiety. _I shouldn't have come. I've only upset him. But I can't just leave him like this._  Mat summoned his nerves and slowly approached the curled up mound of self-pity. He swallowed and nervously raised his hand to the house owner's arm, gently patting him. "I-It's okay," he tried to comfort, "It's okay, I know you didn't mean it."

"I-I don't know what to think anymore." The human was speaking between hiccuped sobs. "I-I didn't mean to, I-I just- I- God, I'm such a screw up, I- Damn it!" Mat found himself leaning closer instead of pulling away at Nate's harsh tone. He wrapped his arms around the human's wrist to the best of his ability.

"It's okay," he whispered, "It's okay, shh... Just calm down, Nate, nothing to get all upset over. It's okay pal, it's all right. It's all good..." Nate moved his arms a little closer to himself, dragging Mat dangerously closer to the waterworks.

"It's-It's not okay," he sobbed, "It's not okay, n-nothing's okay!" Mat tried rubbing the human's hand in gentle strokes, like petting an animal, but it didn't seem to help. The borrower didn't know what else to do.  _Should I tell Stephanie?_ He wondered.  _Maybe she can help! I just need to explain everything to her first, though. That might take a lot of talking... and I'll need to make it up to her probably. But that's fine, that's fine. But I do know that I need her help. Nate needs her help._

"Nate, I need to go talk to someone." Mat let go of the human's wrist and stepped back. "But I'll be right back, okay? I just need to..." Mat's voice faltered when he realized he hadn't even told Nate that he wasn't the only borrower living under his roof. "I... I need to-"

"Just go." Those two words uttered with such defeat put fractures in Mat's heart. He reached out and tried to give the human an assuring touch.

"N-Nate-"

"Just go!!!" The human snapped. Mat flinched away and decided not to anger him. He turned away and quickly headed to the nearest nook, and he made his way home as fast as his small legs could carry him.

"Steph?" He opened the door and felt his guts suddenly twist. Stephanie was standing there with her arms crossed, one eyebrow raised, and her fingers tapping patiently on her bicep.

She had been waiting for him. 


	34. Phantoms of Hope (Nate and Mat+Steph) (Part Three)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to go downhill in Mat's investigation, and he discovers that he has been blind to more important things when Nate needs help.

"What did you do?" Mat blinked.

"Wh-me? What did I do? What do you mean?" Stephanie pointed past him.

"I heard a commotion going on, so I went out to look, and I see the house owner, a fully grown human being mind you, on the floor, crying, and you trying to comfort him!" Mat winced.

"I-I didn't do anything! At least, not deliberately, I mean- I- he thought I wasn't real, and, uh, he started crying, and-" Mat shook his head. "Steph, there's something wrong here."

"Yeah, you were  _seen_!" Mat's gaze slid from Stephanie, and he saw that some of their stuff was already gathered.

"Steph? What...?" He looked around. "What's this about?"

"I've already started packing, but... well, I'm not as strong as you."

"We can't leave now!" Mat gasped, appalled, "We need to help him!"

"Mat, he's a human, and he saw you. There's nothing more to it," she pleaded.

"He needs my help," Mat answered firmly.

"Come on Matthew, you've heard the stories! Any borrower ever seen by a human gets captured, and I'm not going to watch you risk your life for a human that you don't even know." Mat gave her a good look and shook his head sadly.

"Then look the other way."Stephanie blinked as Mat turned away and ran back out of their house.

"Mat? Mat! Mat don't! Wait!" But Mat knew he couldn't listen to her cries to call him back. He just knew, deep down, that he  _needed_  to help Nate. And if Stephanie wouldn't help, then he would do it himself.  _I don't know what it is, but I feel like he's in a really bad place. How could we have been so blind? If he was a borrower, maybe Steph would think differently, but-_ He pushed that thought out of his mind, feeling guilty for thinking that.  _Sorry Steph, but I have to make sure he's okay._ He came out of hiding and ran across the living room floor.

"Nate?" He called. "Nate!" He listened for a response, or some footsteps.  _Where the hell could he have gone?_ Teardrops still stained the kitchen floor, but the human wasn't there. Mat sucked a huge breath into his lungs and shouted with all his might, "Nate!?!?" He suddenly heard something shatter, followed by a heavy thud. A bolt of fear made his spine tingle with dread, and Mat took off for the source of the noise.  _Something bad is happening._ His sensitive borrower sense was off the radar, screaming at him that something was gravely wrong. Mat sped into the bedroom as fast as his small legs could carry him, but then he came to a staggering halt and gawked with horror.

The table lamp was in pieces on the ground; the bedsheets were draped over the side of the bed and cascaded across the floor, and the guitar even was sprawled on its side. The chair and nightstand were also knocked down, and splayed in the middle of the room was Nate. "Nate!" Mat ran up to the human and ran around to the front of his head. "Nate!" The human's eyes were half-closed. His lips were slightly parted as he hoarsely breathed, but much shallower than Mat remembered. His throat muscles throbbed feebly with each weak inhale, so Mat went up to Nate's chest and listened to his heartbeat. His eyes widened.  _He needs a hospital!_ Mat ran down alongside the human's still body and pushed into his pocket.  _Come on, come on, please be there, please...!_ He spotted the thin silver box that was called a phone and tapped the screen desperately. It flashed on, blinding Mat for a second as he grumbled and pushed on the phone icon.

 _What was the number for emergencies?_ Mat froze.  _Shoot! What was it!?_

"Mat! Call 911!" Mat turned to see Stephanie running up to Nate.

"911, are you sure?" He yelled back.

"I'm sure!" He pressed in the numbers and heard the speaker start ringing. Nate groaned and tried to move, but couldn't and only shifted a little, rocking Mat.

"Come on, come on...!" Mat muttered as Stephanie came to his side. Then there was a click.

"911, what's your emergency?" Relief punched Mat square in the chest, he was almost speechless for a second.

"Emergency, yes!" He leaned into the speaker to sound as loud as possible. "I, uh, my-my neighbor, he's on the floor and in really bad pain right now! His name is Nate, you gotta help him right now!"

"Okay sir, what's the address?" Mat checked with Stephanie for the correct address, and together they managed to inform the voice on the phone. "Alright, we're sending help right away, thank you for calling. Can you tell me any of the symptoms for us to inform the hospital about?"

"Uh, well." Mat shared a glance with Stephanie. She nodded. "He's-he's breathing really weakly, and his heart's beating irregularly."

"Uhh, Cri... Cristina..." Nate murmured in a whispery voice. "Don't... hrrgh..."

"Delusional?" Steph added.

"And pretty much unconscious, yeah," Mat agreed.

"All right you two, anything else?" The borrower bit his lip.

"Well... one time, when we were talking, he thought that I was a figment of his imagination," He admitted. 

"Has Nate been taking any medication? Overdoses are common, and it might be the answer in these symptoms." Mat went completely still. A gear in his brain had suddenly turned.

"Yeah." He swallowed, his throat feeling dry and sticky. "A-Antidepressants." His thoughts were whirling now.  _How did I not see it sooner!?_ The woman was talking to someone else and reciting the information, but Mat was so shocked now that he didn't even notice.

"Mat?" Stephanie reached over and gently grabbed his hand. "He's gonna be okay," She whispered. "You got the people who can help him coming now. But we should go before they get here." Numb, Mat stumbled after Stephanie. They climbed out of the human's pocket, and Mat gave Nate a sorrowful glance.

"You're going to be okay, Nate," He murmured, "They're on their way now." The human's lashes fluttered weakly. If he had heard the borrower, he didn't give any indication. Despairing, Mat looked away and let Stephanie lead him back to the borrowing walls as a siren wailed in the distance.

 

 

 

 

Stephanie agreed to stay until they knew whether the human was okay. The house was so empty and quiet, and even though Mat borrowed everything they needed to prepare for a long trip, he felt so down and worried.  _Is he okay? I hope he's okay._  Too often, he would sit on the edge of the counter and look around, trying to imagine what life as a human was life.He was already really high up, and yet Mat knew that the height he sat at now was only where a human's midriff was; it was a scary thought really, but at the same time the borrower dared to imagine how wonderful it'd be to not have to climb all the time just to get from one room to another.

He never heard nor saw any hints that told him of Nate's condition as the week crept by. He remembered hearing the paramedics bursting in and rushing to the bedroom, and he remembered all the flashing lights and the noises and the shouting. Mat opened his eyes and looked toward the bedroom. He remembered hearing defibrillators whine, talk of a seizure, and urgent footsteps as the other humans had wheeled Nathan Smith out of his own house. He even remembered hearing one guy mutter how abusers were like timed bombs ticking down their last tocks, but that human-talk took Mat a little bit of time to decipher.

 _So he was overdosing on antidepressants... but why?_ Mat looked up at the cabinet where he had first met Nate. The door was still wide open, and the pills were still scattered on their shelves, in as much chaos as that late morning.  _Antidepressants are for treating depression, that's their purpose._ Mat had gone and read every centimeter of the labeling before the official humans came and collected it, and he could not find any rational reason as to why Nate took too much. The dosage amount was even on the front!

But, finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of waiting, Mat heard a car pull up late Friday afternoon. He hurried to the nearest hiding place and listened. Keys jingled in the lock. The door opened. The footsteps were accompanies by the metallic clicks of crutches.

"Tell me again," came a tired complaint, "Why do I need these stupid things?"  _That's Nate!_ Mat smiled with relief.

"In case you get weak again and decide to faceplant," a female replied. Mat shrank back as the two humans moved past his hiding place, and he looked to see a pretty young woman helping Nate across the living room. His house owner didn't look too good, but it was better than laying sprawled on the floor and fighting for your every breath. The hospital had dressed him up a bit frighteningly, but most of it was just scary to the eye. "Now, you get some rest," the woman insisted as she helped Nate sit on the couch, "And I'll make you something to drink."

"Thanks, Cristina," Nathan answered quietly. His voice was a little weak, probably exhausted after what he'd been through. Cristina simply nodded and moved on into the kitchen. Mat watched the human curiously.  _I think I remember him saying her name, when he was unconscious. What's she doing here?_ Then he looked over at Nate, analyzing the young man's condition.  _Well, he looks ready to take a nap, for one. I hope his head's okay. Maybe he hit the chair or nightstand during his fall, that would explain the wrappings around his head. Must have been the back of it too, otherwise I'd have noticed and tried to help. But then again, if Steph hadn't dragged me away when she did, we might have been discovered._

Mat noticed that Nate's tired eyes were in the direction of the kitchen, where Cristina was humming in lovely notes. His breath hitched when he saw Nate start bobbing his head in incredibly faint movements, and his fingers twitched with uncertainty before tapping along; he was perfectly in sync with the woman's humming. The realization hit him like a bolt; Mat started smiling so big that his cheeks hurt.  _He likes her!_

"Here you go." Cristina returned to the living room with a steaming cup. "A nice cup of tea ought to soothe you."

"My hero," Nate murmured with a playful sparkle in his eyes. The two humans lightly chuckled as they settled down side by side, and Mat watched with a distant grin.  _That's how Steph and I are a lot. We're not that different, humans and borrowers. We both have feelings, people we love, people we don't like, favored activities, jobs... I just wish humans could see that._ Mat's smile dropped.  _And he still thought I wasn't real. I guess that's for the best._ He turned and left the two humans to themselves, and he returned to the small home where Stephanie was eating some bread and butter.

Stephanie looked up when he walked in, but he didn't say anything. He simply didn't look at her as he got out a serving of bread for himself, and he sat down glumly across from her. Stephanie hesitated, and then she set the bread down.

"... I've been thinking," she started, "That maybe we don't have to move." Mat looked up, surprised. She smiled kindly at him. "I know, 'If a human sees you then you have to move.' But maybe this human isn't so bad. You care for him like a friend, yet you've never even really met him." Mat sighed and messed with his hair.

"It doesn't matter," he muttered, "He won't remember me anyway. He thought I was just a hallucination or something, remember?" Stephanie bit her lip.

"Well, you could try reminding him," she suggested, "Or maybe he will remember." Mat scoffed, but his demeanor wasn't rude.

"Come on, Steph. He was overdosing on antidepressants and painkillers, you really think he'd remember me when his brain was addled with medicine?" Stephanie shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm just saying..." She sighed and clasped her hands together, leaning forward. "It's your choice. Whether we should move or not, and whether you think having Nate around is a good idea or not. But if you do trust him, then I want to know that you trust him enough to be around a baby." Mat looked up sharply.

"What do you mean?" But even as he said it, he felt his heart begin to race, like a thoroughbred galloping for first place. His eyes were wide as he stood, almost knocking the chair aside and falling over. "St-Steph?" Stephanie smiled and gave him one, simple nod. Mat took a sharp breath. "Well we can't move now, then!" He exclaimed, "Is that why you've been so sick recently?" She told him yes. "Oh my god!" Mat did a small jumping motion and whisked to the other side of the table, hugging his wife. "Why didn't you tell me sooner!?" He demanded.

"Well, I was waiting for the right moment, but then I noticed you were going out borrowing a lot." She looked up at him. "I was a bit worried, until later I saw you trying to comfort Nate when he broke down and started crying." She looked back down, hunching her shoulders with embarrassment. "I-I would have told you sooner, but that argument, and Nate..." Mat shook his head and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry, I should have paid more attention," he apologized.

"It's all right," Stephanie assured, "You've been so worried about Nate, I should have paid more attention to how you were feeling."

"So..." Mat smiled a little, "We're even?"

"Only if you agree to at least check on Nate before we decide whether to stay for good." Mat nodded and grabbed her hands, holding them to his chest.

"I'll talk to him," he promised.

"When?"

"Tonight."


	35. Phantoms of Hope (Nate and Mat+Steph) (Part Four)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate wants to make amends with Cristina, and Mat wants to help his old wounds heal with some very important advice so that they may all live under the same roof in peace.

"Is there anything else you need?" Nate shook his head and closed his eyes.

"I'm fine now," he murmured, tired. "I just need some rest." Cristina nodded, understanding, and bent over to pick up his empty cup. She turned to the kitchen, but then she hesitated and turned around again.

"Why didn't you call me?" She asked quietly. Nate opened his eyes a little. "You could've called. You needed help, I would have come." Nate let out a small sigh and let his head loll.

"Even after I yelled at you?" He mumbled. Cristina tilted her head and fixed him with a solemn gaze.

"I upset you," she said, "I was the one egging you on. I'm sorry, it was such a stupid argument." Nate shook his head.

"No, I-I was such an ass. I should have been more considerate." Cristina set the cup down and knelt by his side.

"Nathan, no. If you think you're at fault, then we both are wrong." She leaned and put her forehead on his. "What do you say we forgive and forget?" She murmured. Nate nodded.

"I'd like that," he whispered. Cristina smiled and tilted her head, and their lips met. They kissed briefly, but their hearts hummed in reunited companionship. Cristina smiled and brushed his hair back in order.

"Now get some sleep." She pecked his forehead and backed away. Nate watched as she picked the cup up again and made her way into the kitchen to wash it.

"I don't suppose you called the ambulance, did you?" He called.

"What?" The sink turned off. "No, I was at home when the hospital called me," she answered. "They told me your neighbors made the call."

"My neighbors?"

"Yes. A couple, I believe is what I was told." Nate frowned and rubbed his head. His thoughts were foggy, but he remembered very clearly not meeting any of his neighbors. As a famous music artist, it would have been dangerous; he could have gotten trampled by stalking fangirls from worldwide- and that's a genuine concern, there's no being snobbish about it!

"Did they give a name?" He asked.

"I don't know, sorry. You'd have to call the doctor."

"All right." And then he said, "I haven't cleaned out your stuff yet, if you want to stay the night." Cristina bit her lip thoughtfully, and then she nodded.

"I'd like that." She smiled, and Nate smiled back. "Good night then. Get some rest." She draped a blanket over him, turned off the light for Nate, and went on her way to the bedroom. Nate watched her go, and then he reached for his phone to call the doctor. He squinted in the bright artificial light as he scrolled through his calls history, but then he stopped. His tired eyes widened.

According to Nate's phone, he had made the call himself.

 

 

 

Mat kept his breathing quiet and even as he listened in the darkness. It was the middle of the night now. Nate was snoring softly, and he seemed to be relaxed and at peace.  _Okay._  The borrower took a deep breath. _Here it goes._ He separated from the shadows and trekked across the floor. He used his borrowing hook to get up on the coffee table, and then he studied the distance between the table and the couch.  _That's going to be a big leap. But if I want to wake Nate up and see if he would hurt me, then I have to take that chance. It'll be a big fall if I don't make it though... No, just stick to the positives. You're doing this for your family, Mat, for your family! You can do this!_ He took a few breaths, backed up as far as he could, and then he ran for it. He flung himself off the edge, and his jump took him almost all the way onto the couch- except he slammed into the side of the armrest and gasped as the breath was knocked out of him. He scrabbled to get a hold when the blanket suddenly shifted, and he looked up to see a familiar pair of human eyes on him.

"I got you. I got you, don't worry." A hand came up under him. Mat let go and staggered onto his back, but the surface under the borrower supported him. He was lifted up as Nate slowly sat up, and then the human glanced down at the long drop below before looking at Mat. "You could have gotten hurt," he murmured groggily.

"I- sorry." Mat sat up and tugged his jacket lapels. Nate studied him.

"You okay?" He asked. Mat nodded, and Nate sighed, blowing a warm breath of air that ruffled Mat's hair. "That's a relief. Wouldn't want you getting yourself killed before I can thank you." Mat was caught off guard.

"Wh- thank-thank me?" He echoed. Nate tilted his head and slumped against the couch back.

"Yeah. You called them, didn't you, Mat?" Mat opened and closed his mouth, and then he looked down.

"I-I didn't think you'd remember," he mumbled.

"I almost didn't," Nate admitted, "But when I called my doctor and heard him say that someone named Mat called me in, I was able to recall some memories of what happened." He rubbed his head and then scratched it carefully. "I-I hope I didn't hurt you." Mat shook his head.

"No, no you didn't. You were kind." Nate scoffed.

"I was an asshole."

"You helped me heal my wife."

"I yelled at you." He looked at the borrower with reflective eyes. "I was angry, bitter, and for no reason."

"You were sad," Mat said quietly, "And lonely. You were just trying to defend yourself. You were hurting." Nate looked too tired to persecute himself any more. He sighed and looked down, while Mat sat up in the human's hand and let one leg hang off the side of his acquaintance's palm. "Nate... Why did you try to kill yourself?" Nate looked away from the borrower, staring vacantly at the main hallway.

"... You said your wife was the one that needed the medicine?" Mat nodded. "So you're married." Nate bit his lip. "And you know what it's like to share difficulties with a woman."

"We've... had our fair share of arguments." Mat recalled their most recent one. "But we always pull through, that's what couples do." Nate closed his eyes, nodding.

"Yeah... but me? I fucked it all up. I pushed her away, yelled her off."

"But she came back," Mat gently reminded. "Because you needed her help."

"This time." Nate looked down at the borrower with worry glittering in his eyes. "But what if I screw it all up again? What if next time, she doesn't come back?"

"Well..." Mat bit the inside of his cheek. "I'm not an expert on these things, of course. But... I think that you both just need to remember how much you love each other. Aren't you willing to fight for her?" Nate nodded. "Well there you go. Whatever sparked the argument in the first place, just remember to consider the other's opinions. Try to find reason in whatever they're saying, no matter how crazy or mind-boggling it sounds. Try to find even ground, you know? You have opinions, she has opinions, and they're not always going to align. That's what makes a relationship a relationship, because of the effort and time you put into it. And believe me, it's worth it."

"... Wow." Nate smiled a little with a small exhale. "You sound like an experienced husband." Mat clamped his hand over his mouth to muffle a fit of laughter.

"I'm not even close to it," he giggled, "We still have our fair share of quarrels. That's how relationships go, you're not always going to agree on everything." Nate grinned, and Mat found himself relaxed and smiling back. Then he remembered why he came in the first place. "Oh yeah, um, one more thing..." He looked down, twiddling his thumbs. "You're-you're not gonna tell anyone about us, are you?" He asked in a small voice. He then waited anxiously for the answer.

"No, of course not. Not if you don't want me to." Relief flooded Mat. He sighed in relief. "You saved my life," Nate said firmly, "The least I can do is keep your people's secret."  _People! He said people! Not kind or race or species, but people!_ Delight bubbled in the borrower's chest.  _He sees me like a human, like an equal!_

"Thank you!" Mat breathed, dizzy with joy. Nate smiled and nodded, and then he yawned. Mat noticed and cleared his throat. "I, uh, I should probably let you get back to resting now."

"Mm." Nate grunted as he struggled to keep his eyes open. "Well don't hesitate to visit again. You and, uh..."

"Stephanie." 

"Yeah. You and Stephanie are welcome to whatever you need. Don't hesitate to say hi, okay?" Mat smiled so big that his dimples hurt.

"Thank you, Nate," he said with earnest gratitude. Nate smiled and closed his eyes, putting his head on the pillow.

"It's nothing, really," he mumbled. Then he stirred and sat up again. "Oh, here." He lowered his hands and brought Mat safely down to the floor. Mat climbed off and gave the human a grateful nod.

"Night sleepy head," he called playfully, stepping back. Nate grinned and lay down.

"Night, uh... Shortcake?" Mat laughed.

"Really? That's the best you could do?" Nate huffed.

"Gimme a day! I'm a little drugged right now," he chuckled sleepily. Mat giggled and waved before turning and heading back to their home. Nate watched him go until his eyelids grew too heavy to bear, and he slowly closed them and sank into his pillow with a happy sigh. He fell asleep almost immediately, and had pleasant dreams.


	36. Exiled (Mark and Jack) (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After events that knock humans off of their dominant perch in the Earth's ecosystem, eight years later finds one human and his unique story on how he becomes the first to actually meet a real giant- without being slaughtered.

Jack knew from the very start that he was fucked, but he didn't realize just how hard until he finally got caught. Although, caught was an extreme term: Trapped was a more effective one, because that was exactly what Jack had fallen for. A trap. 

In the beginning, he was a simple young fella trying to combat the harsh reality of adolescence. He did all the things any human would usually do, but then a catastrophic event took place world wide. Giants emerged from what seemed like nowhere and took over the lands of the earth. Animals became wild and more aggressive. Humans were knocked off the top of the food chain. Families were separated and lost, whether to the maws of predators or the new wilds of the planet they had once smugly called home. Jobs and cities were evacuated, and the peoples fled for their very lives into the wilderness, abandoning their beloved homes that were all eradicated to make room for the new species that was large and in charge.

Life from then on was hard. Some took shelter together, seeking peaceful refugee camps in deep forests or even underground. Others endorsed in a life of bandits and raiding, thieving for their own survival. But some had taken it upon themselves to survive in the most risky way possible: Living off of the giants like borrowers. It was an extremely risky practice, and only a few dared to put their life on the line, but often enough they knew they couldn't handle the harsh wild of the world beyond the society blocks of giants. As such, they stayed and hid, whether in the streets like strays or within the very walls of the gargantuan houses themselves.

 

Jack knew he wouldn't last a day in the wild, so he stayed in a giants' block that was the new Los Angeles. It was one of the largest establishments yet, and even after seven years it still grew. That was how long Jack was alone, by himself, without anyone to talk to or even a shoulder to cry on. Fear made him grow up quickly and toughen up. Time still ticked by, and eight years was so achingly long. But one day changed everything, and that fateful evening Jack was focused on something else.

"Get back here you rat!!!" The Irishman ducked as the giant chasing him threw something metal. "I'll fucking teach you to steal from me!!!!" He bellowed. Jack slid under the counters and huddled there, gasping for breath. His head was pounding. His crystal blue eyes were wide and sharp with apprehension, and he backed away as the chef's approaching shoes. He looked around desperately for an escape route, but when he moved he convulsed under a wave of pain and grunted. He looked at his arm. The fresh cut was deep, and he was bleeding. Shit. He pulled out a strip of cloth with his good hand and wrapped it, keeping steady. He didn't have time to do much else. Time was precious, and he could only delay the bleeding long enough to get the hell out of this fancy kitchen.

He waited until the chef turned away to look for him, and then he pushed off the floor and hurtled toward the double doors. The chef rumbled angrily above him as he stomped around, not noticing the tiny human until he was squeezing through the doors. "Shit! No!" He hissed. If anyone saw a human running rampant in his restaurant, then they would shut him down until the pest problem was taken care of! He angrily stormed to the doors and peered through the circular windows, trying to get a peek at the human's whereabouts. But all he could see were the many other giants seated in the vast dining areas of his restaurant. "I'm so screwed," he muttered.

As soon as he had wriggled under the serving doors, Jack veered a sharp right and ran along the wall, praying that none of the big people would noticed his tiny shadow darting across the floor. They were all indulged in their conversations and the delicious smelling food, and the smell made Jack's stomach growl pitifully to remind the young Irishman that he still hadn't found anything to eat. He winced and wrapped his hurt arm around his middle, and he tried to look for a way out of this chaotic place.

Where's the exit!? Jack glanced both ways before he pushed away from the wall, trying to tear across to the other side of the room so he could get his bearings. But no sooner had he started to step away did a waiter come walking by with a huge serving cart thundering by, and Jack flinched back. He stumbled before recovering his balance, and he turned to the closest table and hid under it. His breathing was fast and shallow, with his chest and vocal chords tight with fear. Jack took a few rapid gulps of air and slumped against the table leg, trying to not pass out.

"Ah! Here you are." Jack felt his blood pressure skyrocket as two giants took their seats at the once-empty table he cowered under. "What would you like to drink for today?" The waiter asked.

"Oh, I think just water, for the both of us." Jack felt the hairs of his neck stand, and he shivered. How the hell can someone's voice sound so deep? He wondered.

"Yeah, just water please," a soft feminine voice agreed.

"Okay, just let me know when you two are ready to eat." The waiter walked off, leaving Jack only two pairs of legs to stare at. He was starting to feel cold and faint, and a nauseating glance at his arm told him he didn't have much time left. But he couldn't just risk running out from under, could he? No. They'll see me. The thought of being seen again made Jack's skin tingle with dread. See me... I can't let them see me. So he sat down and waited, anxiously, and prayed to whatever god that might exist that he would get through this.

 

 

Mark smiled as his fiancé laughed at his bad joke. "Mark!" Amy giggled, "You're so bad!" He winked, chuckling.

"What? You don't like my puns?" She reached over the table and squeezed his hand, still hiccupping with laughter.

"I do," she admitted, beaming happily at him. "Of course I do." Mark smiled and caressed her hand, once again marveling at what a lucky guy he was.

"You look lovely tonight," he murmured with shining brown eyes. The corners of her lips curled in a bashful smile.

"You already said that."

"That's just how much I mean it then." He lifted her petite hand and kissed it, making Amy blush shyly.

"I'm not that pretty," she mumbled humbly.

"Of course you are! You're even prettier than I am." She giggled again as their waiter returned with a serving cart.

"Your orders, sir," he said in a chipper tone, "Sir loin steak with the second side, and spaghetti and meatballs for the lovely lady."

"Thank you." Jack flinched as the cart rolled away, and the footsteps following it merged with that of the incessant chattering. He let out a quiet groan and rubbed his eyes. Lethargy was starting to seep in. He took a look at his wound and realized with alarm that the cloth was already soaked with blood. Shit! Jack tried putting on another cloth, but it bled through so quickly. He swooned at the metallic scent of his own blood, and his vision started swimming with nausea. "Urgh ..." He mumbled. I think I'm gonna be sick. The couple above him was eating and laughing merrily, not having a problem in the world or an awareness of just how much pain Jack was in.

Amy cut into her spaghetti cheerfully, while Mark tried to cut into his steak. "Hrgh... come on..." He scowled as he tried to slice through the juicy steak. "Damn it... almost-" The knife suddenly slid through, and the sliced off piece tumbled off the plate. "Shit!" Mark fumbled to catch the piece, but he missed, and it fell onto the floor.

"Oh, it's just one piece Mark." Amy smiled sympathetically. "You can have one of my meatballs." Mark sighed as his irritation quickly evaporated.

"Thanks." He set his utensils down. "I should get that though." He leaned over and reached to clean up the mess he had made when he noticed something move out of the corner of his eye. He stopped to look, but when he turned his head he found himself face to face with the human hiding under the table.

Jack had seen the piece fallen and decided to try and take it for himself. After all, giants had plenty, and he hadn't eaten anything for a while. He managed to get up, swayed the first two steps, and then staggered toward the delicious-looking piece of meat. But when he was just a few meters away, Mark leaned over and had been about to pick up the dropped food out of courtesy. That was when Jack froze, Mark had turned, and they were meeting each other's gaze.

Jack's eyes widened. He felt his very breath leave him as he froze. Mark's eyes widened as well, and his lips parted with awe. "Holy-" Jack turned and broke into a run. "Hey! Ow!" Mark tried to sit up too quickly, and he promptly smacked his head into the table. "Wait!" He sat up quickly and practically jumped out of his seat.

"Mark?" Amy blinked at him, puzzled. "Everything all right?" She asked. Mark didn't answer at first. He scoured the surrounding floor for sign of the human, but when he found none he sank back in his seat. He gestured Amy closer, and then he whispered in her ear.

"I-I think I just saw a human." His voice was shaky. Amy's eyes grew big.

"What? Where!?"

"I-I don't know where it went." Amy put her napkin down and leaned out of her seat to look around.

"There!" She pointed. Jack was running as fast as he could across the floor, but he was obviously struggling. Mark pushed his plate away from the edge and leapt out of his seat.

"I'll get it." Jack was gasping for breath by the time he made it to the other wall, but when he looked over his shoulder, he saw the giant picking his way across the room, following him. Panic sparked newfound adrenaline, and Jack took off again, running for his life.

" 'scuse me. Sorry. Pardon me." Mark muttered brief apologies as he weaved between tables, and he spotted the human run into the bathroom hallway. He squeezed past the last table and hurried into the secluded corridor to keep up. Jack stumbled to a halt and looked at the doors before him. Shit! There's not enough space under them! His only option now was a window at the end of the hall. He kept running and reached for his belt, and he unhooked a long piece of string with a hook at the end of it. He swung it and watched as it sailed through the air, and it snagged on the edge of the window sill. He started climbing, but he barely made it up two handholds before yelling in pain and dropping back onto the floor again. His arm hurt too much to climb. He staggered, dizzy with pain, and he turned around just as a shadow cast over him. Before he could realize that he was cornered, huge fingers moved toward him and ensnared him in a tight grip. Jack groaned and wriggled vainly as the giant hand securely held him, and he was lifted up into the air with a rush of vertigo.

Mark felt his mouth go dry as he slowly picked up the creature and brought it closer for a better look. He was such a tiny thing, quivering and breathing hard from the chase. Mark realized with a jolt that the human was really skinny, and that every feeble movement against him could be barely felt. He found himself letting his second hand hover under his fist as he loosened his grip, giving Jack a chance to breathe. He then realized that he shouldn't hold the poor little guy out in the open like this, so he grabbed the tackle that Jack had tried to use and shouldered through the men's bathroom door.

Jack didn't know where the giant was taking him. His vision was too blurred to comprehend. He had no strength to struggle. He didn't even move as the calloused fingers holding him slowly uncurled, or even as he was picked up by the waist and carefully set down on the counter. It felt cold under him, and Jack wondered dimly if this was where he died.

As soon as he put the human down, Mark backed up a step and took a deep breath, wondering what to do. Regulations said that giants must beware humans and turn them in as soon as possible. He had always thought humans were unfairly evilized and had a right to be angry, seeing as they had been evicted from their homes and hunted down like pests... but face to face with the situation? Mark didn't know what to think! And this human wasn't even trying to run away now; he wasn't even getting up. He just lay there, wheezing...

Mark felt a prickle of guilt for scaring the poor thing. He reached out trying to think of a way to comfort Jack when he noticed red on his hand. He turned it and gasped. Blood caked his fingers. He put his hand to his nose and took a sniff, and he immediately had to force down a wave of nausea. It was the human's alright. He looked and saw now that there was a bad cut on the small Irishman's arm, and he looked more tired than ever.

"Shit!" Mark whispered. He grabbed a paper towel and ripped a strip off its side. He turned to Jack and took a breath before slowly lifting his arm up. He felt a tremor of fear course through the poor little fella, and that tremor made Mark's heart quiver. There's no way I can turn him in. A determined expression settled over the giant's countenance as he set to work. He carefully peeled off Jack's bandages and saw that blood was still gushing from the wound. He ripped off another piece of paper towel and gently wiped the blood off. He then proceeded to wrap his makeshift bandage around the cut, winding and winding around before tying the ends off.

"There you go little guy." Mark set his arm down and sighed, feeling a bit faint. He was washing the blood off of his hands when his phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. That must be Amy. He dried his hands and answered the call.

"Mark? Are you okay?" It was her. She sounded worried, but was talking quietly to not disrupt anyone else.

"Yeah." Mark swallowed. "I-I'm okay."

"Oh you sound out of breath. Did you catch it? Where are you?"

"I-I got it. I'm in the men's restroom, but listen, I..." Mark glanced at Jack. The little guy had barely moved. His head came up a little as he let out a disorientated groan, but that was all the strength he had. "Can you meet me in here? I'd rather talk about this in person." Within a minute, Amy slipped into the restroom and gasped.

"Mark! There's blood on your suit." Then her gaze landed on Jack, and her eyes softened. "Oh... it's injured?" She asked worriedly. Mark nodded.

"I-I did what I could, but- well, you're the doctor. I don't know if I made it in time." Jack's labored panting went faster when Amy's shadow passed over him.

"Shh," she murmured as she examined his arm, "It's okay little guy, I'm just looking..." Amy then looked up at Mark. "What happened?" She asked. Mark shrugged.

"I-I don't know. But the cut's pretty deep. I think he already tried to cover it, twice, but it was still bleeding when I caught him."

"Oh..." She looked at Jack again, and then she stood up straight. "We're taking him home, right?" Mark felt a numbing burst of relief course through him.

"Absolutely."


	37. The Song of Rain (Mark and Amy) (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In another scenario where humans are no longer the biggest and baddest thing around, Amy is a young survivor who also has her very first encounter with a certain giant- and she starts to realize that maybe they are not so different after all...

Amy loved the rain. Who didn't? It was so relaxing to hear the rain drops patter the ground and fill the air with the fresh smell of water as it washed everything away. And she loved to be all curled up in warmth, snuggling her best friend as she listened to the gentle song of rain. Her source of warmth and comfort during these times was perfect for these sorts of situations: He was a giant, and his name was Mark.

Mark loved the rain too, for all the same reasons as his smaller but precious companion. Whenever they couldn't stargaze, he loved curling up at the back of their cave and snuggling her, with the both of them laying in a comfortable quietness as they listened together to nature's beautiful song. He was big and strong with powerful muscles and a frightening size, but Amy knew with all her heart that Mark was the sweetest and kindest person she had ever met. His soft raven hair was fluffy and incredibly worthy of petting, and his smooth tan skin shone from his time in the sunlight. Stubble stuck out along his jawline, and he wore a simple black shirt with old blue jeans stained by age. He didn't have any shoes, but he didn't seem to mind since he often washed them to keep up appearances.

But Amy's favorite part were his eyes. At a distance, they appeared to be a simple brown, but when one could get as close as Amy often did, she could stare into those deep and reflective eyes and see more than just plain brown. They were, initially, a warm and gentle brown, but gold softly ringed his pupils, and the edges of the irises faded to a black border. She couldn't count the time she'd lost gazing deep into those eyes, studying every fleck of color and tracing her own reflection in them. The coolest thing was seeing them change color; such as whenever Mark was sad, they would lose their luster and fade to a blander palette, almost monochromic; or, whenever he was angry or territorial, the gold would harden into an almost red tint, and his pupils would constrict into feline slits. That saying about the eyes being windows to the soul? Yes, Amy found it to be very true for her. His eyes were like a moodlet ring. She had plenty of other hints to tell her how Mark was feeling, but on a rainy day like this it was sometimes hard.

Why? Simple. Because he was sound asleep.

Amy opened her eyes and could hear that it was still raining despite her nice nap. She yawned and stretched a little, tilting her head to catch a glimpse of the forest outside. The mouth of the cave was dripping with water, and even though it was only the afternoon the forest was devoid of bright light. The leaves jingled in the storm, and branches shuddered under the dive-bombing droplets. There wasn't any wind to chill the air today, making it wet and humid with only a slight nippiness.

She lolled her head even more to look up at her friend and protector. He was sound asleep with both arms resting over his chest and embracing her gently. He was incredibly warm, and his arms were comforting. His huge, calloused hands that respected fragility were resting over her, and her head was resting right over his heart. Mark was mostly slouched on his back, but his head and shoulder were kinda squished against the curved side of the rock wall, which slanted Amy's world just a small bit. She was curled up safely in his arms, and she could feel his powerful heartbeat booming softly under her head. His pulse was soothing, as were the gentle rises and falls of his broad chest. She could even hear the gentle gurgles of his system as his stomach worked on the remainder of lunch, a delightful feast of berries which Amy too was still full from.

She sighed softly and let her head rest down again, and she closed her eyes to listen to the familiar noises for a little bit longer. She felt at peace, like nothing was wrong and everything was perfect... but she knew that wasn't completely true. A pang of sadness made her heart squeeze as Amy remembered the hardships that had brought them together. She'd been so afraid, and he so alone. It was hard to imagine that, only a month or two ago, they hadn't even known each other... 

 

 

 

 

It all started when mankind's reign was eradicated. Evolution had run off the rails, and suddenly everything was more dangerous than men, including an AI android that had declared war on its creators and mankind. Cities were wiped out, electricity dead, fun and reasons to smile... all gone. Superpredators jumped to the top of the food chain, and humans suddenly found themselves near the very bottom. Their numbers dwindled rapidly out of the billions and then millions as the earth itself reverted to a past time where the wild ruled the world. And, by some chance, Amy found herself one of the lucky survivors. She knew it was never skill, that whatever god or overseeing forces that existed were taking pity on her for some unexplainable reason. Maybe they knew she would come across Mark and become best friends with a giant. Maybe they thought it wasn't her time to die yet.

Or maybe they just wanted to "lmao" at her pathetic efforts to prolong the inevitability of death.

Whatever the reason, Amy managed to find company to travel with for a while. They were the friendly sort, kind enough to let her stick around, share food and necessary supplied or whatnot. It was nice, and she made pretty good friends with them, until the day that set the dominoes in motion. She could still remember it with pristine detail: She had been sitting by the fireplace when one of the guys, an Irish bloke called Seán or Jack- Amy could never figure out which was correct, because Signe for some reason always called him Seán instead of the other name that literally everyone else used- had walked over to her while sharpening the end of an arrow.

"Hey Amy!" He called. She looked up as he asked, "Tyler and I are going hunting. We're gonna teach Signe how to hunt, ya wanna come with us?"

"Oh, uh, sure." She got up and wiped her hands nervously. Jack seemed to read her mind and flashed her a confident grin.

"Don't worry, we'll be back before long. There's gonna be a rainstorm soon, so we're just gunna get a little practice in for ye two." Amy nodded gratefully and followed him across their temporary camp. Signe and Tyler were already waiting at the edge, chatting with Ethan.

"Don't worry!" Ethan said rather proudly as they walked up, "No spoopy bandits gonna sneak up on us while you're gone!"

"That's the spirit," Tyler said halfheartedly. Amy smiled and waved hi to the optimistic young man, who grinned and waved back.

"Well don't be gone too long! It's gonna rain soon, but hopefully you catch something for dinner." And then he bounded off to go and check on the others. Tyler exhaled and turned to Jack.

"Got everything?" Jack nodded. "Good, then let's head out and hopefully beat that storm." The men led the way, while Amy gladly walked alongside Signe.

"I hope this won't be too hard," Signe told Amy. Amy shrugged.

"I don't think I could ever kill an animal, even if my life depended on it," she mused.

"Me too, but Seán said we have to do what we can to get by. It's horrible and sad, but that's how life is."

"I think I'll stick with tracking and medical emergencies." Amy grimaced. "Give me a broken shin any day." Signe giggled, and then they continued on in silence. Insects and birds buzzed and chirped cheerfully in the trees, and the leaves rustled pleasantly in a warm breeze. Signe caught up with Jack and chatted quietly for a bit, leaving Amy alone with her thoughts as she looked around. _It's so peaceful._  She took a deep breath and caught a whiff of rain on the wind.  _It's hard to believe we have to worry about death every second when the world is so beautiful now._ She lifted her chin and saw the lovely sky stretched above the leafy canopy. Clouds were brewing in the air, but it looked so clean and painted, like a picture too good to be true.

"Amy!" She snapped out of her thoughts and stumbled as Tyler yanked her behind a tree. She was about to ask why he had whispered her name when he clamped his hand over her mouth, and then she understood. She stayed silent as the cautious male peered past, and she caught a glimpse of Jack protectively holding Signe behind another tree.

The birds had stopped chirping as footsteps slowly rumbled the ground. They all held their breaths as they heard the shuffling being sniff the air and growl. Her pulse pounded in her head as she stayed deathly still, fearing that the giant might overhear her heartbeat. They all listened, waited, as they heard the soft breaths of lungs bigger than they, the suspicious sniffing that set any human's hair on end, and the soft growling of a humanistic beast. Seconds dragged on by what felt like minutes, hours, adrenaline coursing through their veins as they all waited, not daring to even breathe. Then, finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the footsteps shuffled on, and they gradually faded. It wasn't until the birds started chirping again that they finally remembered to breathe.

"Coast's clear," Tyler murmured. He checked one more time and turned to Jack. "I thought you said there weren't any giants in this area?"

"There weren't." Jack shivered. "Maybe we outta turn back and go before they find us."

"We just need to be careful." He looked back at Amy. "Are you okay?" Amy nodded, feeling a wave of relief.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Don't be." Tyler unhooked his bow and resumed walking. Amy gave the ground a flustered glance and followed, feeling guilty that she had let her attention slip. She caught a sympathetic glance from Jack and heard him mutter, "Do ya really need to be so harsh, Tyler? Yer not the only one adjusting."

"She needs to learn to be more careful, otherwise she'll slow us down. Or worse, gets us all killed." Amy felt a stab of guilt. "When we wind up in a human stew, then you can ask me again," Tyler finished sharply, not looking back. Jack sighed and begrudgingly said no more. Amy rubbed her arm and studied the leaves at their feet.  _I'm such a nuisance._ Her eyes watered a little.  _Why did I agree to come? I can't hunt, all I can do is heal, not kill. What use is that here, if I don't have the heart to even catch my own supper?_

"It's okay Amy." Amy blinked and saw Signe smiling at her. "It helps to try to keep your eyes on the horizon when you're daydreaming," she offered, "I do it all the time."

"U-uh, thanks." They finally made it to an abandoned park that was their choice hunting grounds for the day. Tyler passed his bow to Signe and led her on, while Jack paused and turned to Amy.

"Here." He dug through his pocket before fishing out a small but very useful pocket knife. "In case any creepy crawlies try to hug ya." Amy's eyes widened.

"What? Me? I-I-"

"Don't say nuthin, just take it." He pushed it in her hand, and she managed not to drop it.

"Th-thanks." Jack nodded and turned to the others as Tyler examined Signe's form.

"Hold your arm a little more straight. Tuck your elbow in, and remember your breathing. Good, good. Now pull back just a little bit more, try to keep from shaking..." Amy turned the pocket knife over and examined it. She peered at the surface and saw her tired reflection squinting back at her.  _What am I good for?_  She wondered. _Tyler's such a great leader, Ethan always lifts everyone's spirits, Jack's such a jack of all trades, and even Signe can do more things than me. What's my point, my contribution to the group? I'm the only healer they've got, but I'm such a klutz._ She heard a woosh as an arrow suddenly cut through the air, and Amy flinched as a squirrel let out a squeal before flopping onto the ground lifeless.

"That's how you shoot." Tyler lowered the bow and handed it back to Signe. "Now you try on the other one. If you miss, that's okay. It takes a lot of experience."

"Shouldn't we start with unmoving targets?" Jack asked.

"We don't really have the materials to set that up," Tyler reminded him, "Besides, if she's successful then we'll be having a good supper tonight. Now come on Signe, just give it a try. Remember your breathing, good..." Amy sighed and was looking at the knife again when a drop suddenly dripped on the cool metal. She looked up and felt another hit her cheek, and her eyes got round.

"It's raining!" And then the heavens opened up and progressively unleashed a growing torrent of rain. Signe yelped and ducked behind Tyler, who blocked some of the rain as the wind began to pick up.

"Come on!" Jack was already running for the squirrel. Tyler nudged Signe in the right direction as they began to run. Amy was about to do the same when she realized she could feel tremors in the earth. And they weren't from the rain.

"JACK!!!" She shouted over the wind. Jack was turning around to give her a confused glance when a massive hand suddenly slammed beside him. A girlish yelp jumped his lips, and he dropped the squirrel and bolted toward Amy. Amy could only stagger back a couple of steps as she took in the immense silhouette. She could make out a red pair of glowing eyes as the hand felt the ground before picking up the limp body of the dead squirrel. She felt her stomach lurch as she watched it open its mouth and pop the tiny animal in with a single gulp.

"Amy come on!" Jack grabbed her hand and spun her in the right direction. As she stumbled after Jack, she felt a chill colder than the rain shoot down her spine as those hungry eyes turned on her. The ground began to shake again as the giant got up and followed after them.

"Jack!" Amy cried. Jack glanced over his shoulder and paled.

"Keep going!" It was hard to see in the deluge where they were going. Amy tried to shield her eyes to see better, but then her foot snagged on a gnarly root, and she suddenly hurled down and got a faceful of mud. She screamed in surprise, and Jack skidded in the mud as he turned to try and help her up.

"No, don't!" She yelled, "Run!" Jack hesitated, with both fear and guilt brimming in his eyes. "Go!!" She shouted. He finally turned away and ran into the foggy storm, and was swallowed up by the trees. Amy panted for a couple of seconds before she sat up and tried to move. She immediately cried out in pain. The root was wrapped around her ankle, making her foot twist at an unnatural angle. She frantically tugged at the stubborn tendril, feeling her breath get quicker as the booming thuds came closer.

"Come on, come on, come  _on_!" Her voice came out winded and panicky as she yanked on the root. Then she remembered Jack's knife and fumbled to get it out. Just as she managed to get the blade to slide open, a shadow fell over her small muddy figure. She froze and went completely still. Her fight or flight instinct screamed at her as thunder rumbled overhead, but she was helpless to do neither as a warm breath suddenly washed over her.

 _Don't move. Don't look._ Amy closed her eyes and held deathly still. The air around her jumped quite a few degrees as she felt the giant sniff her. She couldn't stop trembling as it moved closer, exhaling a powerful breath that emanated the smell of fructose. Her grip on the knife tightened. In the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn't have, but she couldn't help but let fear override her actions.

The next few seconds was a flash of action. She remembered swinging and hearing the giant roar as it jumped back, and she opened her eyes to see the looming figure clawing at its nose as it whined in pain. She gasped in horror at what she had done and tried to get up, but the root cruelly reminded her that she was stuck and not going anywhere. She cried in pain once more and fell to her hands and knees, up to her wrists in muddy water. Amy whimpered as she felt a sob swell up in her chest.  _I'm done for!_  Her lip curled back.  _You idiot, now it's gonna be mad and make your death even more miserable! Stupid, stupid, stupid...!_  She wasn't even aware that she had started crying, but before long she was bawling as she contemplated her miserable life. It went on for a while, self-pitying her stupidity and cursing herself, until she slowly realized that she still wasn't dead yet. She looked up, and was shocked by what she was met with.

The eyes were no longer a fierce red, but in fact a forlorn silvery brown. The giant had stopped trying to get the tiny knife that was embedded in the tip of his nose out, and was now gazing at Amy with some sort of emotion. She felt her crying falter as her confusion heightened.  _Why isn't it attacking me? I should be dead by now._ She watched as it tilted its head and blinked curiously. Anger bubbled in her stomach.

"What are you waiting for!?" She snapped, "Just end it already!" A flicker of surprise crossed the giant's eyes. Amy felt her anger vanish as fear overtook her once more, and she started crying again. She looked away from the giant, unable to bear staring death in the face any longer as she covered her eyes and shook with sobs. The rain continued to pour, soaking her in freezing water and mud, but she could barely feel the cold.

Then the air heated up again, and Amy froze as she felt something rub up against her back. She turned around sharply to see that the giant had leaned down and started nuzzling her, rubbing his cheek against her. Amy felt her breath hitch, not understanding. Was it performing some sort of pre-consumption routine? Did it not like its food covered in mud? Amy's mind ran through all kinds of awful ideas before she finally came to the uncertain conclusion that the giant was trying to comfort her. But that was impossible! ... right?

The giant suddenly shifted and moved back. Amy felt her breath catch in her throat again as the giant leaned over her and blocked the rain with his back, shielding her from the deluge. He was still on all fours, but now he sat back on his haunches and squared his shoulders to still cover her. His hands were planted firmly in the mud on either side of her. Amy sat there, dumbfounded under the hunching arch of the giant's spine. The healer couldn't believe what she was seeing, and her brain struggled to think up a rational explanation for why the giant hadn't killed her yet. At first, she denied the truth, but as the giant tilted his head to look at her upside down, Amy realized with a jolt that there was no aggression in his eyes. They were a soft brown now, kind and curious like a puppy's as he cocked his head and rumbled quietly.

The young woman looked down at the root wrapped around her foot and tugged on it. It still didn't give away, and Amy was about to give up any hopes of escaping when one of the giant's hands suddenly swooped down beside her. She flinched back as it came far too close for comfort, but then all it did was pick up the annoying tendril and easily snap it in half. Just like that, the root went limp and loosened its vicious grip. She was free. Amy stared at her foot for a few seconds and then rubbed her ankle. Her foot still throbbed with pain, but she could at least move it now. She sat up and slowly turned over, well aware of the giant's penetrating gaze as she slowly got up. She winced when applying pressure on her injury and staggered, missing the spike of alarm that flashed in those huge eyes.

"Ow!" Amy whimpered. She wobbled, trying to keep upright in the muck when two huge fingers and a massive thumb suddenly snaked around her waist and gently tightened. She froze for a second, and then she started panicking when the giant lifted his hand and pulled her up off her feet. "No!" She yelped. "No, no! Let me go!" Unsurprisingly, he ignored her pleas. He got up and wrapped her in a massive fist, holding his spare hand over her like a roof, and started striding off into the forest.


	38. The Song of Rain (Mark and Amy) (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As soon as Amy finds the chance, she escapes the odd giant's cave and races to find her friends... Only to find the camp not as she had left it.

**(A/N): The Song of Rain shall be continued in its own side story book, like Roadblock. Enjoy!**

 

The ride to the giant's cave was like a roller coaster; forces tugging on every which direction, surroundings whizzing by a blur of colors. By now the giant had secured Amy in a loose fist, ensuring that she couldn't wriggle her way out. The scariest thing about it though was that Amy couldn't even feel open air under her feet, and that the top of his hand encircled her shoulders. She was debating on whether it was because of her small height or the giant's gargantuan hands when he walked up to a gaping hole in the wall of a cliff and ducked inside. The temperature around them immediately dropped, and Amy shivered as her only source of warmth diminished, only coming from the gigantor's body heat. Her eyes struggled to adjust as he brought her away from the mouth of the cave and plodded all the way to the back wall.

Amy flinched as the giant sat down and shook his head, sending water flying in every direction. His hair was poofed up like a wild hedge when he stopped, and Amy felt a bubble of laughter tickle her. She couldn't help but giggle to release some tension, but she stopped when his eyes landed on her. She couldn't tear her gaze away as he held her closer, squinting in the darkness. His irises shimmered in the shadows, and his pupils were incredibly round as he snuffed softly. Amy swallowed, not sure what to do when she noticed something else gleaming in front of her: Jack's knife. The blade was deep in the skin, and the handle was far too small for the giant to pull out on his own. She realized his nose kept twitching and wrinkling, and Amy felt a stab of guilt as sharp as any blade. _I did that. Me... I hurt it._

She wriggled in the giant's fist and managed to get her arms free. She tried to reach out to take the knife for him, but his eyes hardened as he pulled his head back with a suspicious growl.

"I-It's okay." She held her hands out in a placate gesture. "I-I..." Her voice faltered when she remembered that she was staring face to face with a freaking giant. "I-I just wanna help you get that knife out," she stammered. He stared at her, the only sound beside the rain being his breathing, and then the snarl slowly dropped from his lips. He leaned forward again and brought Amy up to his face. She shuddered as his hot breath washed over him. She could feel it through his fingers, contradicting the cold cavern atmosphere and sending chills down her spine. She managed to focus on the glint of silver and took a nervous breath.  _Okay... here goes nothing._  She slowly reached out, alarmingly aware that the massive being was watching her. Her hand hovered before the tip of his nose, and then she closed her eyes before leaning the last few inches.

As soon her cold small hand touched warm skin, his nostrils twitched at her tiny touch. He huffed nervously, and Amy's lips quivered as she opened her eyes and gasped quietly.  _Oh my god. I'm touching a giant, I am actually touching a giant, holy crap!_ She felt her muscles relax as she looked up at the giant, and she was surprised to see that his eyes were almost completely closed. She slowly moved her hand up, and then downward, watching as his eyelids fluttered sleepily. She continued gently rubbing, but then she was startled when the air started rumbling.  _What the- is it... is that purring? Amy was astounded. Giants can purr? That's new!_  She was so shocked that her continual movement stopped, and the purring paused until she started petting his nose again. It resumed, and the giant's eyes closed completely, and his facial features relaxed and made him look sleepy.

Amy took a deep breath and put her other hand on the handle. "This is gonna hurt," she warned. His brow twitched and the purring subsided, the only indication that he had heard her. She took another breath, braced herself, and yanked.

Her whole world jerked violently as the giant bellowed in pain and made the walls echo with his roar. Amy was hardly aware of dropping the knife onto the ground far below, she could only remember covering her ears until he calmed down and started whimpering. She groaned and rubbed her ringing ears, and then she looked up to see tears welling in the giant's eyes. The only thing left of the incidence was a tiny cut across the very tip.

"Awww." Amy felt her doctor side take over again. "Are you crying because of your boo-boo?" He answered her with a whine as a huge tear dribbled down his long cheek. "Ohh... hey, come here. I think I've still got some ointment left in my pocket." Amy wriggled her hips to free up enough space to reach in her pocket. She managed to pull out an old tube of soothing medicine for scrapes and scratches. As the young lady fumbled with the lid, the giant leaned closer again and held still for her. She squeezed enough to fill her palm and smeared the goo across the cut. The first time he flinched away with a growl, but Amy found herself murmuring again as she coaxed him to come back.

"It's okay, it's alright. I know it hurts, but just a little bit more, alright? There we go..." She coated the minuscule slash in medicine until it was enough, and she leaned back with a nod of approval, and a hand covered in mud, blood, and ointment. "And there. Done." The giant blinked and sniffed curiously. "No, don't touch it!" She reprimanded when the giant started to lift his hand. He stopped and blinked at her, surprised that such a fierce tone had come from such a small creature. Amy was surprised too, but she found it easier to shove her fear away this time. "You need to give it some time to heal, then it'll be good as new," she explained. The giant tilted his head and rumbled, his eyes brightening to a soft gold. He seemed to understand.

Amy sighed in relief and relaxed. "Good." She took a deep breath and phrased her next words calmly. "Can you put me down so that I can wash up?" She asked slowly. She wasn't sure if asking nicely was going to work, even after that emotional roller coaster she had just undergone, but it was the best option she had. The giant rumbled and got up on all fours, with Amy held against his chest, and crawled the short distance to the entrance. It was still pouring outside, and as the sky growled and thundered Amy flinched a little.

"O-okay." It wasn't exactly what she had in mind, but it was better than nothing. She reached out and let the rain wash away all the yuck on her hands, and then to her surprise the giant suddenly tilted his hand and let his fingers uncurl. Amy yelped and found herself sitting precariously on a platform of flesh and bone, which she quickly adjusted on to keep from falling. She breathed in and tried to remember to keep calm, taking the opportunity to rinse the mud off of her. When she was done, she sat at the center of the giant's palm and hugged her knees, scared to go too close to the edge and risk falling. But then the young doctor noticed that the giant was doing something, and she risked leaning forward to see that he too was washing the mud off of himself. It gave her the heads up she needed seconds before he put his hands together and gently shook her onto his freshly clean hand, and then he finished up by washing the other.

Amy found herself looking the giant up and down, despite her reasonable fear of heights. This giant wore an old black shirt with jeans that had a lot of tears in them and stains that marked their age. He wore no shoes, but his feet were smaller than she expected. She looked around at the hand she was on. The skin was calloused with work and tire, tough but gently cupping her small frame. She hesitated before reaching out and running her fingers along his thumbpad, and she was amazed that she could feel the grooves of his fingerprint.

She then realized the giant had stopped moving and was watching her with a puzzled expression. "Oh, uh, sorry." Amy quickly pulled away, embarrassed.  _Wait, why am I talking to it like it understands me? He doesn't know better. Giants are all muscles and no brains. And yet... I think-_ Another rumble of thunder snapped Amy out of her thoughts, and she promptly flinched and hugged her cold self. She felt her platform move, and then a warm breath blew over her as the giant rumbled inquisitively. Amy fidgeted about being so close to the giant again, but her complex fears dropped to a primitive one when thunder suddenly boomed all around them, and a huge fork of lightning jumped across the sky. She yelped and covered her ears, bringing her legs tightly against her chest as she quivered. Another crackle ensued, and she held her eyes shut tightly, shaking.

She felt G forces sway her again, and she opened her eyes just in time to find herself being smothered against the giant's broad chest. At first, it was overwhelming; she thought she was going to fall, or suffocate, and she could hear a huge booming in her ear. Instead, she buried her face in the wall of fabric, shivering. The giant began purring again, cupping her with both hands as he drowned out the angry growls of thunder. His own booming heartbeat took over her attention; the sound that was thumping in her ear was the powerful muscle in charge of pumping gallons of blood.

Amy was amazed by the effect the giant had on her. She had found herself calming as his body heat warmed her; his actions were unbelievably human. How could a giant understand feelings well enough to hug, or to cry? These were things humans did, not bloodthirsty beasts. Nevertheless, Amy found her eyelids growing heavy despite her questions, and she slowly closed them as her fatigue overcame her.

 

 

 

 

It was morning when the birds began to sing their familiar songs. Water droplets dripped from leaf to leaf, splashing the soggy ground when they reached the end of their journey. The sun shined softly in the pale morning, shyly peeking through the trees for any survivors of the storm. No ray reached directly into the cave, but eventually Amy opened her eyes. At first, she looked on dimly, gazing at the fresh new world that sparkled outside the cave. She yawned and pivoted her head, trying to remember why she wasn't back at camp.

"Jack? Signe?" Her slumberous calls were answered only by the chirping birds. She tried to turn over and wondered why her blanket was so heavy. "Ethan? Tyler?" She sat up and was about to push whatever weight was on her off when she realized that it was a duvet of skin, flesh and bones. Amy gasped and pressed back, but the young healer realized that she wasn't in her sleeping bag. She looked up, and beyond the great stretch of black cloth was a sleeping face partially veiled by the shadows of the cavern; that of the giant's.

She was about to scream for help, but then she remembered what happened before she fell asleep.  _How long have I been out?_  Amy crawled out from under the immense hand with a great deal of effort, and she wobbled as she tried to stand up. The surface under her felt off, soft but sturdy. She shivered as a fear of heights took over, and she quickly climbed over his arm and tottered her way down from his waist. As soon as her feet left the unstable surface and landed on sturdy ground, she huffed with relief, trying to ignore the throbbing in her foot. She spotted the knife glinting in the darkness and walked across to pick it up.  _Now's my chance to escape!_  Amy realized. She sheathed the knife and walked on her toes, trying to keep her echoing steps as stifled as possible. She kept casting nervous glances at the giant, fearful that he would wake, but he slept on. As soon as she made it to the mouth of the cave, Amy darted behind the stone and caught the breath she'd been holding.

 _Made it!_ She risked a peek at the giant. He snored on. Now to get back to the others. She started off hurriedly, hoping they hadn't moved camp yet. The ground was damp and spongy under Amy's feet, and she picked her way through the forest and did her best to avoid the mud. She walked on and on as the sun rose behind clouds, determined to make it back to them.

It was midday when she finally found the abandoned park where it all happened, and she followed the path back towards the familiar grounds. When she emerged from the bushes, she halted with a gasp and covered her mouth; trees were toppled and burned, supplies were scattered across the small clearing, and the tents were broken and ripped, like torn skin and snapped spines. Amy cried out with despair and staggered, stumbling toward the ruins and falling to her knees. There were no bodies, no blood. She doubted that the assaulter would have left any organic evidence behind. She huddled her shoulders together and bowed her head, starting to cry. Her only friends were gone. She could only hope that they'd escaped, but it was unlikely.

The young woman sat there pitying herself and her late companions, eyes burning red and puffy from dehydration. She felt numb, empty. Her jaw twitched feverishly as she struggled to find the strength to sob. But her strength was gone, gone with her only friends, her only family.

Amy knew she shouldn't stay for much longer, but no will urged her. She shook her head and covered her eyes, whimpering. I'm all alone now. _I'm weak. I'm gonna die, just like they did. Stupid. Weak. Idiot. Dumb, dumb, dumb...! I should have been here. I should have helped them!_ Amy's shoulders dipped, and she let her elbows slide in the mud as she collapsed in on herself and kept crying.  _No, I would have gotten in the way. But better me than them! Why? Why!?_

Amy lost her sense of time, grieving as the sun moved overhead. It was eventually covered completely by the darkening clouds, and soon it began to rain again. Amy trembled as she was soaked within seconds. Her sadness turned to anger, and she gripped a clump of grass before uprooting it and hurling it away with a scream.

"STOP TORTURING ME!!!" She screeched at the heavens, "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, I GET IT!!!" The skies only rumbled softly as it continued to pour. Her fury subsided, and Amy faded back into depression. She whimpered and covered her eyes, and her shoulders shook as she resumed sobbing. This was the worst day to top all worst days...

As she sniffled and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, she noticed her world suddenly grow darker. With muddy cheeks, Amy looked up to see the giant, the very same one who had taken her to his cave. He was crouched above her, and his eyes held a concerned glisten as he cocked his head and rumbled softly. Amy would have felt frustrated that he had followed her, but she felt the anger sputter and die out like a weak flame in the hard deluge. She sniffed and looked down at his muddy feet.

"Why are you here?" She whispered. Her voice was high with stress. "Everybody else is gone... so why aren't you?" Her lips curled back, and she choked on a sob. "Just leave me alone!" She wailed. The giant whined in question, and as his eyes wandered to survey the damaged remnants of the camp his irises hardened to a sad silver. He whimpered, understanding what happened, and looked down again. The poor girl was huddled up in the mud, grieving from a fresh wound that would take a long time to heal. He went down on his elbows, drawing nearer, and he huffed softly. She didn't flinch, but she didn't care about self-preservation. The giant tilted his head and gently pushed his nose against her shoulder, finally making Amy look up. She sniffled and blinked out more tears as she looked up at the looming giant. He was incredibly close, but his countenance was so kind and sad, woefully sympathetic.

The giant rumbled softly and nudged her again, this time rubbing up against her stomach. Amy fidgeted, but the massive creature was undaunted. He let out a playful growl and repeated, and Amy finally squeaked and squirmed as a smile forcefully jumped across her lips.

"Wh-what- stop it," she giggled. She couldn't laugh, still burdened by grief, but now the giant had his incentive. He gently pushed Amy over and nuzzled her ticklish middle, making her squeal and thrash before she finally gave in. "Stop, no! H-hey! This is serious! Stop, stop! Hey!" As Amy started laughing, she felt the pressure in her chest begin to lift. Her anger relaxed its poisonous grip, and it was then she realized that not all was lost. The giant chuffed along with her laughs, his deep rumbles sounding like heartfelt chuckles as he continued to tickle her, until finally he stopped and let Amy catch her breath. She lay there, heart hammering and breath heavy, and she smiled tiredly up at the face of the creature whom she recognized was just like her: Lonely.

 _He's got the right attitude._ Amy sat up and tried to squeeze the water out of her hair. The giant remained stretched over her, once again shielding her from the rain.  _Maybe they're still out there, somewhere. I gotta have hope, and I hope that wherever they are, they're safe._ She cast her eyes shyly up toward the giant that had taken a strange liking to her, studying him. The mark on his nose was already starting to heal. "Mark..." She murmured to herself. _That's a boy's name, isn't it?_ "Mark?" she tried. The giant responded, looking down at her with a confused light in his eyes. Amy exhaled sharply, and a small grin made its way over her lips.  _I'm not as alone as I think I am. We may be different, but there's much more to this giant than meets the eye. Until then..._

"That's what I'll call you," She told the giant. The giant blinked curiously. "I'll call you Mark," Amy decided. 


	39. Soup (?̷̻̆ͣ̑?̆͑̄?̻̫͔͔̘͋͆ͧ̉ͫ̐̚͘ ̻͉̂͒̌̎͐̀̎)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "In every angel hides a d̶́̇̃͆eͧͣm̄̒͂ͩ͗̑͏̮͇̝̙̜̻ọ̞̞̤̥͕ͮ̀̆n̶̠̳̱͍̯̜͓̆̐̎̄.
> 
> And in every d̟̙͙̣͕̝̮ͭͬ͡e̙͙̺̪̊̔̐̋̕m̤̄̒ͬ̄ͧͮ̆ȯ͖̰̲̻ͤ̿͂̅n̙̮̙ͤ̀̈ an angel strides."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not replying to comments or updating recently, I keep receiving an error when I try to reply, and I have been sick as of late. Thank you all for your patience, and for putting up with my bullshit. Until I'm better and back to making more stories... here's a little... ṫ̶̘̮̟̥̳̟͇̣ͤ͗͝ë̵͚̦͑́a̸̼̙ͧ̌͂̕s̷̱͈͈̯̳̀̽ͦę̈҉̰̜͔̳̱͙͓̺͎͠r̢̜̫͚ͯͩ̍́̚͞.

When he walked in to the shadowy cabin, he was surprised that he could not hear the Author narrating. He looked around, only finding the corpses of stories scattered on the floor. A paper drifted off the desk as he walked by, but all elsewhere was an eerie silent. He tilted his head, flickering in and out of a third dimensional existence, and he waited for the Host to approach him. He did not.

 **"... Host."** He waited. No response. His chest heaved a visible sigh as he trudged up the stairs, annoyed that his writer had not come to him. Usually the Author was much less irritable, according to the demon, and so he was usually "less of a bother." But this eve, there was something off, something that felt... different.

The demon walked up to the door and tapped the back of a knuckle against the wood.  **"Hos-"**  He stopped when the door creaked open on its loose hinges. On the floor, quivering under a threadbare blanket, was the Author.  **"Host!"**  The demon hurried his stride to the Host and crouched down. **"What's the matter with you? Has Anti been bothering you again?"** He set his greyed out hand on the shoulder of the trench coat, feeling heat radiate between his cold fingers.  **"You're sick,"** he observed with a surprised echo. The Author coughed weakly under his blanket, a feeble bark that was wet and rattled.

"The Host i... is fine." The demon was taken aback. Never had he heard the Host's voice like this; always it had been so strong and smooth, well tuned from the years of reading with that beautiful silver tongue of his. But now, he lay curled on the floor, croaking like an old frog past its time.

 **"No, you're not fine."** The demon scowled at the writer.  **"You are ill."**

"Th-the Host insisted, to-to... that-" He started coughing again.

 **"Don't backtalk me,"** the demon growled, flashing with his nauseating effect **. "Come now. We can't have you dying on me."**  He grabbed the Author's arm and pulled him up onto his feet. The Host weighed little as he slumped against his monochromatic aider, who shuffled down the stairs with the other Ego. He carried the writer to his favorite seat, at his chair where his stories were conceived, and set him down.

"Th-the Author, tha-thanks-" The Host broke off coughing again. The demon sighed.

 **"Here."**  He waved his hand and smoke enveloped it, revealing a bowl of soup. He handed it to the Author, who sniffed the steam doubtfully **. "Chicken and dumplings, with a creamy broth to soothe the throat."** He looked up at the demon. His eyebrows were perked over his blindfold.

"Wh-what-what p-price... does th-the demon ask, in-in return?" The Author asked suspiciously. The demon smiled, but it was the kind of smile that snarled in the darkest of nightmares. The Host, admittedly, was thankful that he could not see this, as feeling the chilly drop in temperature was disturbing enough.

 **"I simply ask that you feel better."** He adjusted his tie and tugged the wrinkles out of his suit.  **"It was only a matter of time before you bit off more than your silver tongue could handle."** The Host sniffed his spoonful and took a tentative bite.  **"And now you cannot write any more stories,"** the demon went on, encouraged by the lack of response.  **"At least, not for a while."**

"But-but he has due dates-" His raspy voice was overcome by coughing once more.

 **"Due dates that can wait,"** the demon purred. His last words echoed strongly on that last syllable. But the strange ringing and creaking when he was truly angry has yet to appear. It was there, in the background, but only faintly. His voice was still powerful, capable of commanding armies with his booming words. It was like honey, poisoned with nightshade and stickily sweet, but hiding beneath it is a sinister and unbelievably wicked intention. The Host was well aware of its poison, but something inside made his stubbornness melt away. Perhaps he had seen reason in the demon's words. Or maybe he knew that if he didn't rest than he would evoke the demon's wrath, be disposed of. Or mayhaps he could not carry out the plan if he was not at a hundred percent. But whatever the reason, the Host finally gave in and sat back with a sigh.

"The demon is correct," he mumbled, stifling a cough.

 **"I always am."** He flicked his head from side to side, flashing red and blue with brief static.  **"Now, the sooner you get better, the sooner you can continue... your work."** The demon touched the Host's shoulder, and then suddenly they were back up in the attic room. The writer stiffened, sensing the change of surroundings, but before he could say anything the monochromatic entity was already heading down the stairs.  **"I will send Google for the doctors,"**  was the last thing he called. Then his aura faded. The Host cocked his head and listened. The creaking of footsteps on old boards had subsided. The demon was gone.

The Host lowered his chin and looked down at the soupy mixture of deliciousness. His fingers twitched, as though about to hurl the bowl away, but that something stopped him again. He gazed blankly at the soup, letting the steam envelope his countenance and open up his clogged sinuses. He turned his head to cough, and then he slowly picked the spoon back up, dipped it into the mixture, and he took a bite as he stayed sitting on the bed.


End file.
